His Saving Grace
by my-place12
Summary: <html><head></head>Danny is devastated at the events that occurred months ago. Will Steve be able to help him, or is Danny beyond help?</html>
1. Chapter 1

His Saving Grace

Chapter 1:

The door clicked open softly as Steve walked into his partner's home. It was 9 in the morning and the man should be up, but then again this is Danny he was talking about so the odds were against him…

Steve knew Danny's alarm system wouldn't be set, which worried the crap out of him. He knew that Danny wouldn't clear his home at the sound of Steve walking about, and he knew that Danny wouldn't eat unless he was coaxed. Danny wouldn't do much of anything these days without his coaxing.

Danny had become more reckless and uninterested in life in the past months. Leaving his door unlocked, driving without a seatbelt, walking into raids without his gun ready for firing instead just pointed to the ground. Steve had even caught him a couple times without a bulletproof vest when they were in situations where it was required. It was like he was hoping for physical pain, or any kind of pain to act as some form of sick distraction. Could it be possible that what he was looking for. . .was death?

The thought spooked the SEAL as he walked into the kitchen and set down some bags on a counter. The bags were full of groceries. . .for Danny, yet again. It was bad when someone needed to be there to ensure that Danny ate or even got up and had a shower. Steve was usually that person. Others helped. . .but Steve made the time and saved the energy to help Danny.

Danny had been through a lot in the past few months. The least Steve could do was have his partner's back while he went through his process of mourning. Especially with everything Steve knew presently. Steve looked around the house. It was untidy to say the least and looked like it hadn't been taken care of for months.

Much like the man himself. . .

Steve sighed as he grabbed a couple of items out of the bags and began to make Danny breakfast. He needed to help Danny as much as he could. . .and he needed to do it carefully, gently, and persistently.

Steve turned on the stove and placed a skillet on it as he tried to focus back on the tasks that were before him.

_Get Danny to eat and get him to work. _He thought as he hit an egg on the side of the skillet, cracking it and watching the contents spill. _And I need to do it with as much enthusiasm and positivity that I can muster._

*clink clink clink*

Danny slowly opened his eyes. There was someone in the house. The noises were coming from the kitchen.

Several months ago, he would've jumped out of bed and cleared his home with his gun in hand.

Several months ago he would've set the alarm. . .and locked his door the night before. Today, though, he almost welcomed the unusual noises. He almost wished it was an armed intruder, one that would walk into his room and just. . .end the suffering.

Just end the misery.

The guilt.

The pain.

Danny felt tears come into his eyes as he became more awake. _This will never end. This nightmarish hell will never stop._ He felt the little trickles of tears fall out of his eyes and down his cheeks as he kept his head buried deep in his pillow curling the edges in his fists.

This pain he felt. It was unbearable. It just hurt, so badly.

Danny just laid there on his bare stomach in his bed, crying. All the walls he had built up whilst being a cop, knocked down over months of agonizing pain and heartache.

_Why did she have to die?_ He thought as he drew in shallow ragged breaths over and over trying to pump some air to his lungs as he struggled for breath causing him to cry out more. _It should have been me._

He didn't care, but he knew his blonde hair was sticking out every which way and he knew that he looked like hell, and frankly right now that was a compliment. If he were to get up to look in the mirror right now, he knew his normally bright blue eyes would be dull, desolate, and dim with a red, puffiness surrounding them. Along with the puffiness, dark circles would cloud underneath and the gauntness of his face would glare back at him as he would just stare into his reflection's eyes, looking for his soul, for a glimmer of hope or life but just staring into the empty vessel everyone else called his body.

He hated this.

He hated life.

The tears faded off. He sat up after a few minutes, swinging his legs over the side of the bed. This was a horrible mistake due to the fact that a massive pounding just started in his head.

He winced as he noticed a bottle on the ground.

He let the tears stay on his face as he picked up a half empty liquor bottle and untwisted the cap. He sucked down the rest of the room temperature liquid that was in it.

_God, I need something stronger_. He twisted the cap back on and set the bottle on the bedside table.

Footsteps sounded down the hall and Danny looked up as the noises came closer but they almost seemed dimmed out but that was possibly from the loud ringing in his ears.

He was slightly disappointed at the sight that stood before him. . .it was an armed person, but not an intruder. It was just Steve, Lieutenant Commander Steven McGarrett, to be exact, his boss, his partner, his friend.

Steve glanced at the empty bottle Danny sat down on the bed-side table as the man looked at him with a slight glare. Steve saw Danny's puffy, red eyes and knew that he had been crying. He probably cried himself to sleep the night before.

Again.

Steve forced a big smile, even though deep down that he was truly concerned and worried for Danny and his wellbeing.

"Hey, buddy. I have made some breakfast before we take off for work." Steve said to him, placing the plate down on his dresser by the door. Toast, eggs, fruit, and bacon, and glass of orange juice crammed onto the small plastic dish.

_Oh, God. . .he seriously expects me to eat all this?_ "Steve, what are you doing here?" Danny sighed as he rubbed his eyes, a little peeved. He just wanted to be left alone.

"I came to make sure you ate and got to work." Steve said walking around to open the 3 sets of blinds in Danny's room. The light was excruciating.

"Damn." Danny mumbled as he shielded his eyes as the pounding in his head increased.

"Sorry about that! Isn't it a glorious day? I mean look at this sunshine and the clouds. . ." Steve took in a breath.

Danny minimally shook his head at Steve's admiration for the morning. "Steve, I can't go in today." Danny responded to his cheeriness.

"Why not?" The words slipped out and Steve wished he could take them back, because he knew damn well what the answer was. Steve turned from the last window to see Danny looking at a picture on the wall, cold and blank.

Steve felt nothing but sadness and pain for his partner as he watched Danny's blue eyes fill up with tears. Danny tried to blink them away as Steve stared at him.

"Because I-. . ." He paused. "I miss her." Danny whispered out as the tears overwhelmed him and fell down his cheeks. Danny brought his hands to his face to cover his tears.

Steve could swear he felt his heart break as he watched Danny breakdown in front of him. He crossed the room to sit next to Danny. "Come here." Steve said softly touching Danny's shoulder.

"Steve, please just go." Steve could hear the warning in his voice.

Steve placed an arm around him as Danny tried to shrug him away. "Steve, please!" He sobbed softly.

Steve ignored his cry and pulled him into a tight hug, as Danny struggled for a second but then gave in and collapsed against him, grasping onto his shirt. Feeling the bare skin of his back made Steve think of how he would've enjoyed the hug if he didn't feel completely at a loss on how to help Danny.

Many mornings, it was like this. Many nights, it was a similar occurrence. Danny kept strong at work, until the few times they were alone in the car where Danny would just break down on his shoulder. . .and that same gut wrenching, and heartbreaking feeling would overcome Steve.

Steve looked at the picture and felt his heart tug in sympathy for Danny as the man cried softly into the nape of his neck. Steve felt the man's tears drop onto his shirt as he clutched hold of Danny tighter.

All he could do was gaze in sadness at the framed image of Danny's beautiful smiling daughter, Grace.


	2. Chapter 2

Chapter 2:

Steve managed to coax Danny out of his bed and eat a little, even if most of the huge breakfast ended up in the sink.

As they drove, Steve glanced at Danny every few seconds. That empty bottle of whiskey was on Steve's mind. It worried him. He had seen a few empty bottles throughout Danny's house the past couple of weeks. He chewed his lower lip.

"Um, hey, Danny, I was just thinking about that empty bottle on your side table." Steve looked over at him and back to the road in front.

Danny clenched his jaw. "What about it?"

Steve shrugged. "I don't know. I just want you to be careful."

"Steve, don't."

"What? All I'm saying is-"

"Steve, just leave it alone, okay?"

Steve gritted his teeth as he pulled into the headquarters parking lot. He took the key out of the ignition as he unbuckled his seat belt and turned to Danny. "Danny, I am not going to leave it, okay? You have been acting more reckless and erratic than ever and the outcome of it will not be good if you continue."

Danny turned to him with a livid look. "I'm sorry. I guess I shouldn't be mourning the loss of my only daughter at all. I guess I should carry on like she was alive, or perhaps. . .even better, never here at all, right?"

"Danny, who the hell do you think you're talking to?!" His raised tone seemed to surprise Danny as he shrunk back in his seat. "That's not what I'm saying at all, and you know it!" He looked into Danny's eyes, glazed over with tears.

"Of course, you should be mourning the loss of your daughter. What happened to Grace was horrible. No father should ever have to go through what you have gone through. All I am saying, Danny, is that I am worried about you."

Danny stared into Steve's eyes, making Steve feel slightly foolish for admitting his worries to Danny. Steve didn't normally admit his feelings and when he did, he was serious. Danny knew this.

"What, you saying you care about me or something?"

Steve smiled softly at him. "Yeah, I care about you Danny."

Danny looked at him with soft eyes.

"I care about you a whole heck of a lot." Steve encouraged him. "As do Kono and Chin." He looked away.

"You mean a lot to me." Steve said looking back to see a small twinkle flash in Danny's brilliant blue eyes before it disappeared behind the usual misery.

They sat in silence for what felt like hours. Danny could feel Steve's fondness for him even in the silence. He knew Steve was the person to confide in.

_He's safe. He always will be._

Danny took in a deep breath. "It helps, Steve. I know that's not an excuse but. . .the drinking helps. It helps me . . . to forget the pain. I know I've been acting recklessly, but some days I really do wish that. . ." He trailed off looking away from Steve, ashamed of what he was trying to admit.

"Something would happen?" Steve said gently.

Danny shrugged. "Yeah."

Steve furrowed his brows. This was not good. Danny, wishing something like that? Steve knew pain and misery were not the items Danny was thinking of. . .but was he really wishing for. . .a way out? For. . .death?

Steve was brought out of his thoughts as his phone went off. He pulled it out of his pocket.

"McGarrett."

Danny looked down to his hands, feeling like his energy had been drained. So many emotions, and all before 9 o'clock.

"Yeah, we're here. We'll be in." Steve hung up the phone and turned his attentions to Danny. "That was Kono wondering where we are." Steve said, slipping the phone into his cargo pants.

Danny nodded. "I figured."

Steve stayed where he was looking at Danny. "We can talk more." Steve mentioned, tilting his head slightly.

Danny sighed. He didn't feel like talking anymore about the subject of his insanities. He wasn't sure if Steve would think less of him for the things that ran so rapidly through his mind on a daily basis. Danny forced a weak smile and shook his head. "No, it's okay. Kono and Chin need us."

Steve smiled sympathetically at Danny. "One more question, Danny. . ."

Danny looked at him with raised eyebrows, waiting for his question.

"How's therapy going?" Steve hadn't asked about therapy for a while. He made a point not to because he knew that Danny was having a hard time.

Danny looked down at his hands and thought about his answer. Truth be told, he hadn't gone to therapy in months. He stopped going after the 4 month mark. It wasn't helping. It wasn't working. So what was the point? The question now was. . .should he tell Steve?

"Um. . .it's okay. The same. . .you know?" He looked up at Steve who was gazing steadily at him. He didn't give him any look, just a steady soul piercing gaze that made Danny feel extremely guilty for lying. He couldn't keep that from him.

"Alright. . ." Danny finally said, sighing out. "I stopped going a while ago."

"Danny. I thought it was helping." Steve replied.

Danny shook his head. "It wasn't. . .I don't know-I. . .I felt lost after a while. . .thought I needed a break."

"Are you going to go back?"

Danny shrugged. "I don't know. . .it's probably better that I do, but. . . I don't know. . .I guess I'm just thinking that. . ." He shrugged again.

"It may still not work." Steve finished for him.

Danny nodded. "Yeah."

"Do you want to talk about it?"

Danny shook his head fiercely. "No. . .I. . .I just want it to stop more than anything."

Danny paused looking at the dash. "I just want it to end."

Steve looked sympathetically at Danny. _How can I help him? I hate seeing him like this._ "Can I help. . .in anyway?"

Danny shook his head. "No. . .you've been a big help to me so far. . .but, I don't even know what help I need."

He knew Danny needed to keep talking, but Steve shouldn't push him like he usually would. Delicate situations require delicate approaches.

"Let me know. . .anytime, okay?" Steve placed his hand on Danny's arm. Danny looked at Steve's worn, leathery hand as Steve's fingers stroked his arm. Danny put his hand over Steve's. He looked up at Steve with a weak smile.

"Alright. Thank you. For everything."

Steve nodded with a soft wink. "Anytime." He murmured.

Steve couldn't help but appreciate the warmth and burliness of Danny's forearm as they broke. He shook the feeling of wanting to feel Danny again away and opened his door to follow him.

"Can I have my keys?" Danny asked dryly, making Steve smile as he tossed the car keys to him.

"Thanks for letting me drive."

"Letting you? You wouldn't have taken no for an answer."

Steve chuckled as they walked together into the building.

They walked in and Kono and Chin turned to look at them entering in to the main office area.

"Good morning, guys!" Kono cheerily spoke to them.

"Hey, guys. What do we have?" Steve asked, putting his game face on.

"Ryan Keller, 32, found dead in an alley way. Point of interest was the bruise marks around his neck."

"Strangled?" Steve asked looking at the pictures.

"No, actually the bruises were there before death. Way before death. . .Max found a lethal amount of potassium in his system. Another point of interest with this guy is this tattoo that Max found on his underarm." Kono swiped her fingers on the tech table, blowing up a picture on the big screens that were mounted on the wall.

"What's it got to do with anything?" Steve asked looking at the picture of a Japanese word with the eternity symbol wrapped around it.

"Exactly. Chin was able to find 3 other cases with victims that had the same mark on the same place."

"They also had another thing in common; they were all in major debt. And they all, at some point, had some kind of transaction wired to their accounts from an account in Tokyo. All over 40 grand." Chin added after Kono. "The only thing that is different is Keller's markings around his neck."

Steve glanced at Danny. He seemed disconnected from the case, from the discussion. Distracted, which was understandable. It made him worried to see Danny in so much pain.

Steve turned back to the case.

"Max said that the tattoos are older and faded. We looked into what they could mean and we found that the tattoo translates to 'eternal death'."

"We also found that high ranking members in the Mara Salvatrucha gang give these tattoos to people they know won't ever be able to pay them back with money. So, the Mara's will give those difficult jobs to accomplish and when they can't, or sometimes even when they do complete them, members will kill them." Kono added after Chin.

"MS-13's? I thought we locked them all up." Steve replied.

"We did, too. But we heard that some members were back on the island looking into drug cartels that are still on the island. We are looking into it now." Chin added before going back to the computer and looking through air traffic records and censuses.

Steve felt his pocket shake. He felt his heart jump at this.

He grabbed the phone that vibrated in his pocket. It was the disposable phone.

"I'll be 5 minutes." He said to his team as he jogged out of the office.

He looked around him before looking down at the black disposable phone he held in his hand that was buzzing. He opened to answer it as he continued to jog quickly down the cemented path in front of the building.


	3. Chapter 3

Chapter 3:

Back in the office, Danny stood in the bullpen with Kono and Chin. As the cousins talked, Danny couldn't focus on the words that jetted out of their lips. All his thoughts brought him back to Grace. Danny quite often thought of her last moments. What they were like, how she was feeling, what actually happened to her?

Danny hated to think what they were like, but he did it anyway. He felt obligated to. After all, if he hadn't killed Seth's cousin, Seth never would have retaliated by taking Grace. . .and eventually killing her. Danny bit his lip as he thought about Grace's last moments. She probably screamed and cried, begging Seth to stop whatever painful torture he had undoubtedly put her through. The pain must have been unbearable. The most heartbreaking thing that constantly ran through Danny's mind was the thought of Grace wondering why he wasn't there. . .to hold her. . .to comfort her. . .to save her.

Danny could feel a lump in his throat and tears start to form in his eyes. He couldn't do this here at work. . .it was barely noon.

Danny could only ever guess what had actually happened. He wasn't left with much to go on about Grace's death. He just knew that she was, in fact, dead. And knowing that it was his fault made everything worse, it made life insufferable.

…

Outside, Steve hung up and placed the phone in his pocket. He walked to the nearby railings and placed his hands on them with a great sigh.

Just a little while longer. Steve thought gritting his teeth. He didn't know if he could keep this up for much longer, even if it was just until tonight. This was getting ridiculous. This whole thing should've been finished 6 months ago.

In that warehouse.

With Grace.

And the sick son of a bitch that took her.

Seth Casacas.

Steve gritted his teeth as he thought about the man that destroyed Danny's life. . .and his own life, in a way. Grace was important to Steve. Not as important as she was to Danny, but Steve cared for her like she was his own.

Steve weakly smiled as he thought about the young girl. The little girl with a smile that made Steve's heart melt as it reminded him of her father's. Her soft brown eyes that always had a twinkle of mischief and happiness in them that, also, reminded Steve of Danny and how Grace was his double . . .

Steve loved the pair. It depressed him to think of never seeing them together again. The way Danny lit up when he was with her, the way she gazed up lovingly in admiration of her father. Danny seemed to become like a kid again when he was around her and his attitude was a lot better almost carefree. That was a true functioning family. A loving family. Just the two of them.

Steve smiled at the thought of his partner being happy once. It made things easier, when Danny was happy and smiling. Especially when he smiled at Steve. It made his chest flutter in delight and his heart race with a purpose. . .with hope.

Steve shook himself from the feelings. He couldn't think of that right now. His focus right now was to keep Danny afloat and to not let him drown in his sorrows, not to admit his feelings to Danny. That was the last thing Danny needed right now. For his best friend to admit that he had feelings for him.

He pushed off the railing with a sigh and headed back inside the building trying to clear his head of the phone call, of his feelings he had for his short tempered blonde partner that had bubbled their way just below the surface, and to focus back on the case.

He walked back into the office and walked to the trio standing around the tech table.

"What was that about?" Danny asked him as Steve strutted up to the tech table.

"Ah, just a call from Mary."

Danny raised his eyebrows in surprise. "How is she?" Steve and his sister hardly ever talked. It was odd.

"Good. She said she just wanted to call to check in." Steve sighed. Sometimes his teammates were relentless in their questioning.

"Any reason you, uh, you didn't go in your office?"

Steve shrugged. "Cell service has been spotty in there recently."

Danny didn't know if he believed Steve. He could tell Steve was trying to cover something, but he didn't know what it was. He didn't even think he could explain how he could tell Steve wasn't telling the truth. He just knew, he always knew.

Danny shook it off, looking at his shoes. Who cares if it was Mary that called anyhow? Who cares if it wasn't? It didn't change anything in Danny's life. It didn't make him hurt less, feel less guilty, or even lessen the pain that hung over him, nothing would, except...

He quieted down again. Why did he even bother coming into work today? What's the point of living life if the one thing that made his life whole was not even there? Would never be there. Ever again.

Grace. . .

Danny bit down on his lower lip hard and grasped his left wrist behind his back and dug his nails deep in to his skin. He can't break down, not now. It was bad enough that Steve knew he was always breaking down, and basically on the verge of self-destructing.

Steve saw biting of the lower lip and the nail digging. Danny's doing it again. Steve clenched his teeth in worry.

"Um, boss, we, uh, we have an emergency situation." Kono said quietly.

Steve turned to Kono. Kono glanced at Danny and looked away.

"Kono, what is it?" Steve asked.

He saw Chin glance at Danny and look to Steve and back down at the screen. Steve strode to the table and felt his stomach churn in anger and clench in sympathy for Danny.

"What is it?" Danny called, walking up to the table. He felt his world crashing down on him as he saw the picture. His heart beat faster. Anger grew from every possible part of his body. He stared at the eyes of the killer that murdered his baby girl.

Seth Casacas.

"He arrived at Honolulu International Airport and was last seen on traffic cams driving in a, most likely rented, black 2012 Hyundai Elantra around Sand Island." Kono continued in a quiet tone.

"The shipping docks?" Chin asked.

"Yeah. . .odd."

Danny could feel the tears in his eyes. He couldn't breathe. This man was running around Oahu like nothing happened? Does he not know how badly he had impacted Danny's life?

Danny needed to get out. He felt the walls closing in around him. "Um. . ." Danny's voice was shaky. He swallowed to steady himself. "I-uh-I need to get some fresh air." Danny said before turning to walk out of the building.

"Danny, you need company?" Steve called after him.

"No, just. . .I'll, uh, I'll just be a second." Danny said to him.

Steve watched as the man walked out of the office, grasping his hair as he walked out of view.

"You gonna go after him?" Chin asked.

Steve turned back to the table. "I will in a sec. Why weren't we notified Casacas was here when he landed?"

"He was under a different name on the census. Facial rec just got in with a traffic camera."

"Okay, so what is he doing on the island?"

"This says his reason for visiting is for work. . .which really could mean anything, especially if he's lying about who he is." Kono answered.

Steve sighed and ran a hand through his hair. "This isn't good at all. Seth is a trickster and wouldn't be caught this easily if he wasn't planning on something."

"You're right. What do you think he's planning?" Chin asked.

"I don't have a clue. . .but I do have a hunch that he's behind these murders. His cousin would kill in a similar fashion, remember?" Steve paused. "Well, at least he'd order out the kill in a similar fashion."

"And the strangulation markings on the neck with Keller?" Chin asked.

Steve shrugged. "Slip up? Maybe Keller was getting fresh with members of the gang?"

Silence fell over them for a moment. "You don't think Casacas is into checking out cartels or hiding spaces. . .right?" Kono asked. "He's never done that, he's too high up in the gang to be doing that. . .isn't he second in command?"

"Yeah. Whatever it is, we need to outsmart him. And fast. If it's anything as bad as the last time here was here on the island. . ." He faded off as a sorrowful tone came over the team. Grace. . . Steve continued. "We need to be careful how we handle this. . .especially with Danny."

"Do you think Danny will go after him if given the chance?" Kono asked.

Steve knew that he would. If Danny had a lead on the man who killed his daughter, he would go after him in a heartbeat, with no question. Steve knew that Danny would kill him if given the chance. _Wait. . ._

Steve looked to glass doors. _Danny would go after Seth. . .no matter what, with no question. Danny. . ._

Steve bolted to the doors with Chin and Kono following him. "Danny?" Steve shouted running out of the bullpen and heading down the hallways at rapid speed.

Alarm spread through him as his thoughts made lightning fast connections. He was acting erratically. . .he'd go after Seth. . .With no question. . .

Steve sucked in a gasp. The keys to his car. . .this morning. . ._Oh, no, he wouldn't be that stupid would he?_

With Kono and Chin hot on his tail, Steve burst out of the HQ doors as he looked around the parking lot for Danny's car.

It was gone.

Steve let out an exasperated sigh. "Damn it, Danny." He muttered taking his phone out and pressing buttons to call Danny. Steve turned to walk back in to the building, while Chin and Kono checked either end of the street, in case there was a chance Danny hadn't gotten far. After minutes of desperate dialing and trying to call again and again, eventually the ringing had stopped and he was sent straight to voicemail several times. Danny had turned off his cell.

Stubborn jackass.

"Track his car." Steve spoke to Kono as she walked in, phone still pressed to his hear, trying Danny's cell, yet again.

Kono rapidly typed and clicked on the screen. "Looks like he's headed to Sand Island." Kono said looking at the map.

"He's going to get himself killed. Call SWAT to get over there now." Steve said. "Let's go."

They headed out of HQ and quickly went to their vehicles. Steve felt his stomach clench in a ball of knots. Seth was a sick guy, and if he was able to get Danny cornered, Danny was in trouble.


	4. Chapter 4

Chapter 4:

Danny drove along the streets and kept glancing at his phone as Steve continued to call him. Steve couldn't help him out of this one, no one could. Danny grabbed his phone and held down the power button to turn it off. He couldn't think, he could barely breath as he thought of the man that killed his daughter.

He turned into the Matson Terminals. Danny gripped the steering wheel, looking for that black Hyundai that Kono had mentioned earlier. He weaved in and out of the stacks of freight containers that towered high, waiting to be loaded and shipped away.

Danny finally saw the car, parked outside a warehouse. He drove up and parked next to it. He took a deep breath and stepped out of his car, withdrawing his gun. He opened the door that led into the warehouse and made his way into the dark building.

Danny walked around several crates with his gun poised, pointed ahead of him. He made his way down a pathway with crates on either side of him. He came to a clearing at the end of the aisle. A voice spoke out and it chilled him to the bone as he remembered who the voice belonged to.

"Hello, Danny. Nice of you to join us."

Danny turned and was met with a sack being thrown over his head, and his limbs being grabbed simultaneously. Danny struggled in the restraint before he felt something collide against his head and everything went dark.

…

Steve gripped the steering wheel as he talked with Chin and Kono on the phone.

"What do you mean he's not there?!" Steve shouted into the phone.

"Boss, we've cleared every building with SWAT, they aren't here." Kono said.

Steve pulled his phone away from his ear and wiped his upper lip. Chin and Kono had gone ahead to meet SWAT. Steve had driven to the side of the road and made a desperate call with the phone, which ended up with him not being able to reach the person on the other end after trying for a half hour. Nothing was going right. Things were getting dangerous and stressful.

"Okay, okay. So, we know that they aren't at Matson Terminals and you are sure of that?"

"Yeah. SWAT set up a traffic block on Highway 65 off the small island and we can't find them." Kono answered.

"They ditched the rental car and Danny's is still here. So, unless they had another car, they couldn't have travelled far. We need you to get to HQ to look at the island's database." Chin said.

Steve stopped at the next stoplight and made a u-turn to head back to HQ. "Okay. I'll start looking for a vehicle and where they could've gone. I'll see you in 10?"

"Yep."

"Yep. We'll find him, Steve."

Steve took in a breath at Chin's words and hung up. He drove to HQ, parked, and leaped out of car, running through the doors.

Steve reached the tech table, tracing his fingers, looking at camera feeds and looking into areas they could've gone. He spent approximately 8 minutes following the feeds and trying to figure out the path of Danny's kidnappers.

_Here, they got into a blue car. And as it goes along Sand Island Access Road, they get onto Highway 92 West. And as they got off the Highway, they are seen here getting off and driving down Lagoon Drive. . .which eventually dead ends. . ._

Steve frowned at the camera feeds.

_So, they have to be in one of these hangars or warehouses. There is no other way they could've gone._

Steve tried to tap into the nearby company's feeds. He couldn't get in without codes. Steve sighed in frustration. _We don't have time for this! Now, we have to go and look into each parking area for that blue car? At least, we have the plate number._

Steve looked up as Kono and Chin walked in. "I think they're along Lagoon Drive somewhere. I can't get into the company feeds without code and it'll take too much time to try to get them, so I don't know which building they are at."

Steve showed them the feed of the kidnappers getting into the blue car and he continued to show them the route he thought they went.

"Enter the plate and put an APB out for that car." Steve instructed.

"Plate showed up as another rental car." Chin said a few seconds later.

"APB is out." Kono said placing her phone in her pocket.

"Okay. Let's go."

Without another word, they all rushed out of the building to try to find Danny.


	5. Chapter 5

Chapter 5:

Danny's vision blurred in and out of focus as he drifted into consciousness. His eyes shifted around, trying to find his bearings. _Where am I?_ With vision still in and out of focus, he looked around, keeping his head still. He was underneath a metallic ceiling.

It was cool. . .and musty smelling. It was dark, except for the single light that shone off to the right of where he lay. He saw wheels. Large wheels. What looked to be a small airplane's wheels. He heard people talking and a few laughs.

Danny remembered. He was hit. Seth's eerie voice haunted him.

Danny moved his arms ever so slightly. They were bound behind him. His shoulders were aching and his head hurt when he moved it, even a little. He breathed in quietly and closed his eyes. _How am I going to get out of this?_ Danny kept his eyes closed as he heard foot steps coming towards him.

"Get him up. It's time to move."

Danny's stomached clenched in anger as he heard the voice. It was that of Seth. Danny felt a little nudge on his side. "Hey! Get up!"

Danny opened his eyes and before he could take anything else in, he was lifted up to a sitting position. His head was sent spinning and his vision blurred in and out. _Fuck, seriously?! A concussion?! Damn._ A bag was quickly placed over his head. He couldn't see well.

Danny was sent into a further state of dizziness as he was pulled to his feet. Danny struggled against the hold. He tried his best to shimmy out of the man's grasp but was met with a punch to his jaw. He settled back, pain pulsing around his head and jaw. He tasted blood in his mouth. Danny turned and spat on the cemented floor. He felt a cool item placed to his back. Danny knew it was a gun.

"Stop struggling and move." The voice said as he walked forward.

The dizziness continued as they walked. Danny heard a door open and a breeze met his face as well as the evening noises of outside. The crickets were loud. As were the cicadas. He heard another thing that he thought was odd for his surroundings. He heard jet engines. _Airplanes. . .are we near an airstrip?_

Danny couldn't think straight. His mind was foggy and muddled with confusing thoughts and ideas as they walked for a long while.

_Airstrip? Outside? How can I get out of this? _

The only clear thing that he could think of was his team. Perhaps they were looking for him.

Danny dragged his foot a bit, paused as he continued to walk, and then dragged it again. He could feel dirt beneath him. He began to struggle against the hold. Maybe if he struggled enough, he'd leave some kind of evidence for the team to find him.

"Hey! Stop moving, now! I will shoot you!" The voice said behind him.

Danny stopped but still tried to leave some kind of evidence. He kicked the ground, dragged his feet, tried to find bigger rocks along the trail, underneath his feet, to kick over.

"Keep walking, and stop messing around." The voice whispered fiercely into his ear, gripping hard and pulling up on his arms, causing him to let out a groan.

"If you keep doing that, I'll be sure to make this more difficult." Danny spat out through gritted teeth.

He heard a laugh in front of him. It sounded like it came from Seth.

"Seth, I swear to God, what do you want from me?" Danny called out.

He heard the man laugh again. "You'll find out soon enough." His voice chilled him to the bones.

_How am I going to get out of this?_ Danny wondered as he continued to walk along the dirt trail.


	6. Chapter 6

Chapter 6:

Covered in sweat and breathing hard, Steve bent over, hands on his knees, eyes looking at the ground. They had just looked through 10 different hangers and warehouses in the area. It was exhausting work being on guard and trying to quickly clear each building.

_No sign. . .no signs at all. . .where the hell is he? _

"We still have. . .12 more, it looks like." Chin mentioned quietly, drinking from a water bottle, equally covered in sweat.

"We'll find him." Kono said in a reassuring tone, looking to Steve.

"Yeah, we're not giving up." Chin added with her comment.

Steve looked up at the row of buildings. Still a lot of ground to cover. They were each different in size, shape and color. He looked down the row, his eyes lingering on the last hangar. As soon as he looked at it, a nagging feeling overwhelmed him as he looked continued to look at it. He breathed hard and squinted his eyes.

"What are you thinking about, Boss?" Kono asked.

Steve nodded to the buildings toward the end. "I think we should look at the last hangar."

"Why do you say that?" Chin asked him.

"I don't know. . .call it a feeling, or a hunch, but. . .I just really think we should look to the last one."

"Um. . .okay. We can check it out." Chin said, looking to Kono.

"Yeah, let's go check it out." Kono added.

Steve was extremely grateful. With being stressed out beyond belief, extremely tired and worried about Danny, doubts from his team mates were the last thing he needed right then. He stood up taking in a few more deep breaths. Chin handed him a bottle. He took it and drank some.

"You okay, Steve?" Chin asked him, taking the bottle Steve handed back to him.

Steve took a deep breath. "Yeah. I'm good."

Chin placed a hand on his bicep. Steve looked at him. "We'll find him."

Steve nodded and went to adjust his gear.

Steve looked at the two cousins as they secured the straps to their packs and bullet proof vests. They both looked so composed and calm. _How can they be so calm? Why can't I do the same?_ He was totally falling apart inside. He was stressed beyond belief and nothing was going as planned.

"Let's go."

They quickly jogged down the street to the end with guns in hand. Steve kept his eyes peeled in the fading light for any signs.

_Anything! Just give me anything! Wrappers, bullet casings, footprints. . .anything!_

Steve kept looking around and made sure to look out for any danger. They got to the last hangar. They stood by the door and Steve listened for any suggestions of noise coming from the hangar. When he heard nothing, he turned to Chin and Kono. He nodded and Chin kicked the door advancing in first.

Nothing. . .just a plane and some other items for plane care. Steve's heart sank as he looked around, his gun leading his way. He had been wrong. Danny wasn't there. Why did he follow his gut? Why did he constantly get into these situations where nothing ended up being present?

_Why do I trust myself when I am so often wrong?_

"Clear! Hey guys, come here." Kono called from a corner of the hangar. Chin found his way to Steve's side and walked quickly with him to Kono.

"Whatcha got Kono?" Chin asked as he looked to where she was kneeling.

Kono looked up with a slightly worried look to Steve. "Blood."

Steve's stomach dropped as she said the word. Blood was splattered on the ground. It wasn't a large amount, but it still worried Steve.

"It doesn't look like it was from a gun shot wound." Chin said to them, studying the line of dark blood on the floor.

Steve looked at it again. He was right. It looked scattered with small droplets and one big drop and they were gathered in a single small area.

"I was thinking sputum. . ." Kono said.

"Yeah, it has that look of spat up blood." Chin said.

Steve stood up and looked to the door. _Where is he?_ Steve squinted as he took in the little path that led into the woods that were about 100 yards from the hangar.

Steve walked out of the hangar without saying anything. He stared past the path and to the trees. _They went that way. I'm sure of it._

"Boss, you okay?"

Steve turned, slightly startled by Kono's voice. Kono placed a hand to Steve's back. "Yeah. I. . .I think they went down that trail to the woods."

Kono looked to Chin who came up behind them. "Sent a picture to Charlie. Maybe he can give us a better idea of what we're looking at. What's the plan now? "

Steve looked back out to the trail. "They went that way. . .I'm sure of it."

Chin and Kono both looked down the path and back at Steve.

"Steve. . .I-" Kono began.

"Okay. We'll go down the trail." Chin gave a look to Kono as she looked away.

Steve set out, turning on a flashlight and looking at the ground, still keeping an eye on his surroundings as well as keeping his gun poised.

They continued to walk down the path in the dark. Lights illuminated the area. Steve started to feel paranoid as he watched the beams of light wander through the forest. What if the people who took Danny saw the lights?

Right as he was about to ask his teammates to shut their lights of he saw something on the ground that made him stop. Kono and Chin stopped right behind him, waiting for him to say something.

_Skid marks. _

Steve looked along the ground. They were everywhere. Scuffs along the ground along with a few overturned rocks and smashed blades of grass near the path. He saw a clear foot print and bent down to examine it.

"What do you see, boss?" Kono asked.

"There was a scuffle of some kind here. Look at these skid marks. And then look here. . .a shoe print."

"That could belong to anyone though. . ." Kono said.

"No. It's Danny's. I know it is."

"How?" Kono said with a smile.

"Look. The print shows that the owner walks mostly on their heels. . .like, heavily on their heels. Danny walks on his heels. The print also shows that the wearer's foot is maybe a little less than 27 centimeters. . .which equals a size 9 in men's wear, size 11 in women's. It's to broad and thick to be an average woman's size, so it must be a man's. Danny is a size 9. And I know for a fact that he wears casual leather loafers. . .which is the same sole print in the dirt."

Kono and Chin exchanged a look with each other, a look that Steve didn't notice.

"I'm sure they went that way." Steve said pointing down the path.

With that, they continued down the path in search of Danny.


	7. Chapter 7

Chapter 7:

Danny was thrown to the hard, cold ground, his shoulder meeting it hard. He grimaced as pain spread through it and along his arm. "Damn." He grumbled under his breath.

"Shut up!" Loud foot steps sounded around him as he struggled against his binds.

"Sit him up." Seth's voice echoed around him. He was in some kind of building for sure.

Hands grabbed him and pulled him in a sitting position. He let out a groan and sat in a kneeling position with his legs tucked underneath him.

The bag was pull from his head and his eyes met blinding light. He winced and looked away as pain seared across his forehead.

"What do you want, Seth?" Danny asked with a gruff voice.

He heard Seth's loud foot steps echo through the building. Seth chuckled. "I want you to suffer, Danny."

"You want me to suffer? For what?"

Seth hurled himself around. "For what?" He repeated with anger on his voice. "Are you serious?!" He walked in front of Danny.

"What? For your cousin's death?"

Danny turned his head when Seth's hand met his face in a loud slap. He could feel the tingle and sting of the slap. It made his hatred of Seth grow to a deeper place in his soul.

Seth walked away from him. "Put him up."

Two burly men grabbed Danny and pulled him to his feet. One held his arm and the other went behind him to untie his hands.

Danny decided to obey with whatever they were up to. He was tired and didn't have a lot of fight left in him.

They bound his arms in front of him and walked him to another corner of the building. They jerked his arms up. He slowly looked up, his head spinning. He saw a rope looped over a rafter.

_You've gotta be kidding me._

The men tied Danny's hands above him to the rope that hang from the rafter. They made sure to tie his feet together as well. Danny took in a deep breath. Then, both the men grabbed at his shirt, pulling and tearing the buttons away as his shirt flew open and hung there as the men left him.

Danny heard someone else drag a heavy metallic object across the floor behind some stacks of boxes. He watched as a man carried a steel rod toward the metallic noises._ What is Seth planning?_

"Seth, why is your cousin so important to you?" Danny asked.

Danny watched as Seth turned to him and gritted his teeth. "Why do you care? You killed him. So, it doesn't really matter anymore."

"It does. Even when people pass on, they are still important to us." Danny said, thinking about Grace.

Seth chuckled at his reply. "Brandt was like a brother to me. And that was important because I had I grew up in a house of boys. All of them were jerks to me."

"I'm sorry that we had to put an end to him." Danny said softly. "But he did wrong Seth. And you have too."

Seth smirked. "It's not wrong if you don't get caught."

That comment made Danny want to kill the man that had dared to smugly utter that gut wrenching statement. Danny lurched at him, still bound by the ropes.

"Hit a nerve, did I?" Seth laughed.

"It's not wrong if you don't get caught? You gotta be fucking kidding me, you bastard!" Danny shouted at him. "YOU KILLED MY DAUGHTER!"

"No, no, no, no. I didn't kill your daughter. You did."

Danny sucked his breath in at the words. That familiar feeling of weight baring down on his chest came upon him. He could feel his throat begin to tighten and close._ Don't cry. . .don't give him the satisfaction. Be brave. . .for Grace. _

"You know you did, Danny. I never would have shot her if you hadn't killed Brandt."

Danny could feel the world crushing down on him. _It was my fault. . .he's right._

"Bit of a shame really. . .she really would have been a great cop. Didn't cry much. Even as she gasped her last breath."

This was too much. Danny couldn't live through this. He couldn't breathe as he thought of his little girl. . .in a pool of her own blood. . .gasping. . .begging for air. . .for life. . .as Seth towered over her laughing. "So you're gonna make me suffer by telling me the story of the death of my daughter?"

"Oh, no. That was just for you. For your knowledge. For your. . .peace of mind I guess." Seth walked toward the stack of boxes.

"Brandt protected you, didn't he?" Danny called after him. Seth stopped at the statement. "He protected you from your mother and your brothers. . .who beat you. . .who would cuss you out and tell you that you were nothing." Danny paused, as details about the case were thrown into rapid connections in his mind. He could see Seth's back full of tension and rigidness. "Brandt gave you hope. He gave you the idea that you were better than what you thought you were. You loved him. . .didn't you? You loved him. . .more than a cousin. . .more than a brother. . .you truly loved him."

Danny watched Seth completely fall apart. He pushed the tall stack of boxes over, turning to face Danny.

"What the hell do you know of true love?! Aren't you divorced?! Haven't you lost the only thing that makes your life worth living?!"

"Even so, I know what true love is. True love is-it's a lot of things! It's when someone protects you and those you love. It's someone that never forgets you, even when you are going through your most difficult times!" Danny choked on his words. "It's someone who is always there for you."

Danny could see the anger and hurt in Seth's face as he turned from him. He watched Seth as he went behind a stack of boxes.

Danny looked up at his bind. _How am I going to get out of this?_ He tugged on the bind, his arms hurting as he did it. He heard the strain as he pulled on the rope. He looked around. The rope was tied to a pillar that aided in keeping the building upright. He could hear the strain as he pulled on it. _How strong is this rope? Doesn't seem all that strong._

Danny heard shuffling and he turned his attention to Seth, who was now heading towards him with the long, round, steel piece of metal. Seth grabbed his shirt in the back, bringing it away from his exposed midsection.

"Seth, what are you doing?" Danny asked struggling away from his touch and away from the unfamiliar object.

Seth didn't say anything as he brought the piece of steel to his abdomen. Pain seared through him as the piece of metal met his skin. It burned. . .it pained. . .it caused Danny to shout out. Every receptor in his brain told him to fight it, but he knew if he moved, it would cause more hurt.

Seth withdrew the rod from his stomach and walked away.

Danny gasped in breaths of air, trying to calm himself. He looked down to his abs. A reddened mark swelled across it diagonally. With every movement Danny made, it hurt. Even when he stayed still, it hurt.

_Stay strong. . .stay strong._ Danny thought as he looked to the ceiling trying to blink his tears away.

He heard footsteps and looked up. Seth came back, with the steel rod. Danny moved away from him as Seth gripped his shirt again.

Danny screamed out in pain as Seth applied the piece of hot metal back to his stomach.

The extreme pain seemed to last forever before Seth pulled the metal away and walked away again.

Danny trembled against his bind as he looked down again. This time, another diagonal line was made, running through the other one, to make a big X on his stomach.

Danny turned his face into his arm, trying to steady himself, but receiving no luck as his hands continued to shake violently. He stifled the need to let tears flow. . .to cry out. . .to beg.

_Please. . .find me._


	8. Chapter 8

Chapter 8:

Steve lifted his head and closed his eyes. He had just heard something.

"Stop." He spoke quietly to Chin and Kono. They did, standing as still as they possibly could.

Steve's stomach dropped as he heard it again. It was faint. . .but Steve could hear it. A scream. . .a scream of pain.

"Did you guys hear that?" He whispered.

He could see Chin and Kono nod, even in the dark.

Steve turned to where the sound was coming from. "Let's go."

. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .

Danny gasped in breaths of air as he watched Seth pace. Small streams of blood and sweat ran down his face.

"Please, just kill me now!" Seth had already inflicted the worst kind of pain anyone could go through. Before the beating. . .before the burning. . .before the physical torture. "You've done enough to me. Please! Just do it!" Danny couldn't hold the tears back anymore and decided to let them flow. Soon he'd see Grace and the more he begged, the closer he was to seeing her again.

Seth laughed at his pleas. "Why should I grant you any kind of relief from the pain you feel? You now know exactly how I feel. Physically and emotionally! Everyday I go without my cousin because of your actions, and now, because of the very actions you did, you will go everyday without your daughter."

Danny looked at him, tears still streaming down his face. "And you can grant you and your cousin peace by killing me, because you will know, and I'm sure he will know, that his killer is dead and can no longer terrorize anyone."

Seth smiled. "This is true. I did originally set out to avenge his death. But seeing you like this is a million times better than seeing you dead."

"How do you know? You haven't seen me dead yet."

Seth chuckled. "You make an excellent point, but not convincing in any way."

"What do you what me to do, Seth?! I am begging! Please!" Danny stared at him, tears still rolling down his face. "Give me the mercy I didn't show you or your cousin."

Seth looked back at him. His soft gaze didn't ease Danny's tears or terror any less.

Danny dropped his head, looking to the floor. He seriously hoped that Seth was considering killing him, he couldn't take anymore beatings, anymore pain, anymore guilt. It needed to end. . .all of it.

Everything just needed to end.

Seth took the gun he held and raised it to Danny's head. Danny gritted his teeth and tears streamed down his face as he felt the gun on his temple. All he could think of was Grace. Her sweet smile, her adorable quirks, her amazing talents and even the weaknesses that everyone else only seemed to see. She was perfect to Danny. Danny loved every bit of her and he was ready to see her again.

"Say hi to my cousin for me, Danny." Seth said smugly.

Danny held his breath as he heard Seth pull the slide back and released it. Danny closed his eyes and bit down hard on his lower lip as he thought painfully about his little girl.

_Grace. . ._

"5-0! Drop your weapon!"

Danny's eyes flashed open at the noise and he let out a gasp as tears continued their flow down his cheeks.

Kono and Chin made their way down the aisle following Steve, their guns poised and pointed at Seth.

Seth grabbed Danny and shielded himself with Danny's still hanging body, the gun still to Danny's head.

"It's over Seth! Let him go!" Steve spoke loudly to Seth.

"It's never over! The constant ringing in my ears as I listen to my cousin's death over and over again! It'll will never be over!" Seth screamed to Steve.

"Let Danny go, Seth. He did nothing wrong. Your cousin did wrong and you have done wrong, too." Steve spoke firmly.

Danny's tearful eyes flicked to Steve's gaze. Steve gave him a knowing look and Danny mustered all the strength he could. He lifted his legs and swung them behind him, kicking Seth off to his right. Seth moved at the surprise movement from Danny and Danny moved himself to his left, away from Seth as Steve fired.

Seth screamed out in pain as the bullet clipped his knee and he writhed on the ground. Danny, with hands still bound, struggled against the bind. Through an anger and complete blind rage, he pulled hard, snapping the line. With tied legs and bound hands, Danny made his way to Seth who was still whimpering on the ground. Danny tossed the man's gun away from him and threw his bound hands to Seth's face, making contact. Tears fell over as Danny did it again and again and again until he felt arms around him.

"Danny, Danny, Danny. It's alright. It's alright. It's over now." Steve whispered into his ear as he grasped him tightly. Danny let his tears flow freely.

"It's not, Steve! He killed her! She's dead because of him! Because of me!" He cried out. "It's all my fault! Grace!" He shouted her name blindly and struggled against Steve's hold, willing for Steve to let him go. Pain ached through his body. His arms, his chest, his abdomen. . .but he still struggled as Steve held him. Since Steve was stronger than Danny, he kept his hold tight around Danny. Danny threw his head back into Steve's shoulder and Steve took the chance to hold Danny's head between his neck and shoulder. Guilt enveloped Danny as he continued to cry. "She's dead, Steve! She's dead and it's my fault!"

"Shhh, shhh, shhh. Danny. . .it's over." Steve closed his eyes as Danny continued to struggle and kept his hold around Danny. After a few more seconds of struggling, Steve felt Danny give up his fight.

"It's my fault." Steve heard Danny choke out in a whisper. "She's dead. . .because of me. . ." Steve furrowed his brows in pity at his tone. It sounded shattered, crushed, and completely broken. Danny relaxed in his hold, still breathing hard. Steve held him for a few more seconds. Steve, then, gently turned around to face Danny as Kono and Chin grabbed Seth and took him outside.

Steve grasped onto Danny's face looking into his eyes. "Danny, listen to me right now-" Steve began as Danny's eyes dropped his gaze, ashamed of his outburst. "Danny, look at me." He watched as the man's eyes, full of pain and guilt, lift to Steve's gaze. Steve couldn't find his words as he gazed deeply into them.

"Come on." Steve finally said, untying his feet before standing up and lifting Danny to his feet.

"Steve, please. . .just let me go home. Just leave me be." Steve untied Danny's knots around his hands.

"No, come on. Let's go." He took Danny's arm as he quickly walked out of the building.

Steve looked around before pulling a phone out of his pocket. Danny watched him as he dialed a number. "Area cleared. Casacas in custody. Everything is clear." He hung up and turned to Danny. "I need you to wait a little longer, Danny, and everything will be alright." Steve stopped a nearby officer. "Do we have an ambulance here?"

"Yep, right over there" The officer said, pointing to the ambulance.

Steve turned back to Danny, flashing his light to Danny's head as he grabbed it and tilted it at different angles.

"Eh, not too bad." He muttered. He flashed it to Danny's abdomen. There was an X mark, irritated and looked like it was blistering.

"Oh, god, Danny. . ." Steve gasped as he looked at him and back at the large mark.

"Steve, just please. All I want is to go home." Danny could feel the tears again as he crossed his arms to hide the mark from Steve.

Steve seemed to ignore his plea. He placed an arm around Danny and they walked to the ambulance.

"Please just let me go."

Steve shook his head firmly as he continued to walk. "No, Danny. Come on, let's get this burn treated." He said. They stood in front of the ambulance as Steve knocked loudly on the back doors.

"Hey!" He shouted.

A face appeared in the tinted windows and they quickly opened the back doors.

"This man needs help. He has burns on his abdomen, a cut to the head and to his lip."

"Alright." The woman went back into the ambulance and grabbed her bag.

"Steve, you need to let me go." Danny repeated himself not looking at Steve.

Steve looked up at him. _Strange use of words. _"What?"

Danny looked him square in the eye. A pain resided in the mournful blue eyes. It pained Steve to see it. "You need to let me go." He repeated, tears spilling over.

Steve stared at him and took in a breath at the understanding of Danny's words. He knew what the words truly meant, but refused to admit to Danny that he did. This whole experience. . .it had completely destroyed the last part of Danny that cared. . .that clung on for life. _Danny's asking me to let him go. . .to let him-_

The medic hopped down from the ambulance, breaking Steve from his thoughts. "Alrighty. I'm Sophie. Let's take a look, shall we?"

Danny stood there as the woman inspected his abdomen.

"Okay. These look like second degree burns. We can help the healing process now if we run cool water over the burns for about 10 to 15 minutes."

"Okay. Let's do it." Steve replied, hoping to speed things along.

"The only problem is we don't have running water."

Steve thought for a split second. "Do you have a suction hose or anything like that?" Steve asked quickly.

"Yep. We have suction hoses."

"Do you have buckets or. . .bins?"

"I think so."

"Okay, how about we fill the buckets-bins-whatever up with water with the spigot over by the warehouse and siphon the suction hose so a slow steady stream can flow on the burns? Does that sound alright?"

"Yeah. You have medical training?" Sophie flashed Steve a bright smile.

"Nah, just think on my toes, I guess." Steve smiled back at her.

They went to work.

"Would you consider taking off your shirt completely?" Sophie asked Danny.

"Yeah. . .whatever." Danny replied moving slowly to take off his shirt. Every movement caused aches and pain to run through his body, especially around his abdomen.

"Easy, Danny." Steve spoke to him as he helped Danny with his shirt. Danny winced but allowed the help as his arms slipped out of the sleeves. Once he was out, Steve took off to the warehouse. He was tremendously worried about those burns and about Danny in general. He looked completely miserable. Steve recalled Danny's shouts and cries in the warehouse. They haunted him.

_Grace. . ._

A cool wind rushed to meet Steve's body as he walked to the warehouse. _It's my fault. . .she's dead. . .because of me. . ._Danny's words ran through his mind as he filled the buckets.

_Danny. . .you'll get through this_. Steve turned off the spigot and quickly returned to Sophie and Danny.

Sophie helped Danny lay down on a cot that she had pulled out of the ambulance. He could feel exhaustion upon him as he placed himself on the cot. The adrenaline and craziness of the past 10 hours had taken a toll on him.

Steve and Sophie set the running water system up and soon enough, Danny gripped the poles of the cot as he felt the steady stream jet onto his burns. The sting was the main factor of pain and soon was relieved as the water continued to flow.

For 10 minutes or so, all Danny did was lie there, thinking about the events that just occurred and had occurred 6 months ago._ Grace. . .Grace, I miss you._ Danny thought painfully as he felt the water drip down around his sides and along his back._ I will see you soon. _

They finished the treatment and Sophie turned to Steve as she finished cleaning his forehead and lip wounds. "I recommend taking him to the hospital, just as a precaution with these burns and also to ensure he didn't receive a massive jolt to the head with this wound." She pointed to Danny's forehead.

"Alright, alright. I need to keep him in the area for a few more minutes. . .please." He was desperate. Danny needed to stay here a bit longer.

"He's suffered a head injury, Commander. He needs to go to the hospital to ensure nothing's incredibly wrong."

"Look at him, he's not throwing him, he's responsive and alert, not in shock. . .I need him here for a little bit longer. . .please?" Steve pleaded with Sophie.

Sophie pursed her lips together and let out a sigh. "Danny, are you experiencing any nausea?"

"No." Danny answered, all signs of brightness or eagerness were dead. This experience seemed to completely kill that part of him.

"Drowsiness? Dizziness? Headache?"

"No, no, and no." Danny answered.

Sophie sighed and turned to Steve. "He better be at a hospital within an hour. I strongly recommend he go in tonight."

Steve nodded, grateful she wasn't so pushy as some medics could be. "Thank you." He said offering his hand.

She took it. "I can wait around. Might be better if I do."

Steve nodded. "Alright. Thanks again."

He turned to Danny. "Come on." Steve grabbed Danny's arm and they walked together, away from the ambulance.

"Steve, please-"

"Come on."

Danny felt frustration overwhelm him as they walked out to the dirt road, through the trees, to the paved road. Why couldn't Steve just leave him be? Leave him to his own misery?

They continued on the dirt road and Danny watched as a black van rolled up followed by 3 unmarked cars. Steve kept a soft hand on Danny's arm and continued to walk towards the car. Steve stopped Danny and turned to him as men started to get out.

"Okay, I need you to listen to me Danny. . ." He paused, swallowing as he is throat went dry.

Danny looked drained as he looked at Steve. He just wanted Steve to leave him alone. Tonight was the night he would've seen Grace again and Steve prevented that from happening. After Steve said whatever he needed to say, Danny was going to go home, where there would be no distractions, no interruptions, and no preventions that would stop Danny from seeing Grace again.

_I will see Grace. . .tonight._

Steve hesitated, looking to the ground. _How will Danny take this?_

"Danny. . ." He paused, looking into Danny's sad eyes. ". . .Grace isn't dead. . ."

The words barely registered to Danny. They seemed to mock him as he tried to fathom what Steve had just said. "What?"

Steve swallowed before he continued. "Grace is alive, Danny. Seth didn't-He didn't kill her all those months ago."

Danny furrowed his brows at Steve, looking completely betrayed. _Is he seriously saying this to me?_ "What the hell are you talking about?! Is this some kind of sick joke to you, Steve?! My daughter is dead!"

Steve shook his head at Danny and smiled softly as he gripped Danny's arms. "Danny, she's alive. She's alive and-and well and-" Steve stopped. Not knowing what else to say, he gestured his head to the van, keeping his gaze on Danny. "Just look."

Danny looked to the van as the doors opened. He watched a small figure step out.

Icy shock ran through his body and veins as it felt like the world crashed into him. He couldn't breathe.

His heart leapt as the small figure looked to each of the men that stood next to the door. Even in a jacket with the hood over her head, Danny could tell it was a young girl. She gave a small smile to each of the men that stood next to her. She brought her hands to her hood and uncloaked her head and face. Her eyes looked up to Steve and Danny. An enormous grin broke out onto her face and her deep brown eyes sparkled as her brown hair cascaded down her shoulders. She had stopped moving from the van, pausing. . .seeming to wait for a reaction from Steve and Danny.

Danny looked to Steve, confusion covered his face.

Steve saw tears in his eyes. "That's Grace." Steve spoke softly to him, smiling. "That's your girl, Danny."

Danny looked back to the girl. Steve released his grip on Danny. Danny turned to the scene before him, walking from Steve. It almost seemed like a dream as it felt like he was floating towards the van. _Is this a dream? Surely, this can't be real. This can't be happening. That bump to the head must be more serious than we thought. This is a dream. . .it's a hallucination. . .This can't be reality. . .Grace-Grace is dead. . .She's dead. . .isn't she? _

"Grace?" Danny whispered out, knowing that the girl couldn't hear him. He had stopped in his tracks, a few feet from Steve, and still a ways from the van. He felt his throat begin to close as a few tears spilled over his rims and down his cheeks.

"Dad!" The girl exclaimed as she broke out into a run.

"Grace!" Danny cried out as he ran to her. He knelt and met Grace's embrace, holding her tight like he'd never let her go again. Danny grasped hold of Grace, taking her in. "Oh, my God, Grace. . ." He gasped in a whisper and closed his eyes, streams of tears spilling down his cheeks. He stroked her hair as she hugged him back. Danny felt her grasp the back of his shirt.

"Grace. . ." He whispered. He couldn't speak as he held her close.

"Dad. . ." She replied, a smile in her voice.

"Grace, baby, I missed you so much."

"You did?" He heard Grace's small voice crack.

"Of course, I did, monkey. Did you think I didn't?"

He heard Grace sniff and her voice well up. "I don't know." She paused. "I missed you, too."

Danny squeezed her in his hold. "Monkey, why are you crying?"

He heard Grace let out a sob. "Because you're crying, Danno."

Danny broke from their hug and smiled through his tears as he looked to Grace's face. Tears stained hers as she looked at him and swallowed. Danny wiped the tears from under her eyes with his thumbs.

"I am just _so_ glad to see you." Danny whispered. More tears trickled down his face as he smiled at her.

That beautiful smile of hers shown brightly on her face, lighting up Danny's world. His heart melted at the sight. Grace lifted her small hands to Danny's face. Danny closed his eyes as he felt her thumbs run under his eyes, reciprocating what he had just done for her. He opened to Grace's still smiling face.

"You okay?" He asked, tears still on standby.

Grace nodded. "Yeah. Now that I finally get to see you."

Danny laughed out. Danny reached to tuck her hair behind her ear. "You haven't changed a bit, you know?"

Grace smiled. "Not at all?"

"Well. . .maybe you're a little bit taller. And your hair is a little longer." He said touching his hand to her hair, running it down the length which passed her shoulder and stopped just at the middle of her shoulder blades.

Grace grinned at him as she picked up his hands in her own. Danny held them and squeezed back when Grace had squeezed his. "You've changed lots, Danno."

Danny raised his eyebrows. "I have?"

"Yeah. You look really tired and. . .skinny." Grace smiled at him.

"Skinny, huh? And tired?"

Grace nodded. "Really tired."

Danny laughed out as tears came to his eyes. "Come here." Grace dove into his out stretched arms, squeezing him tightly as more tears flowed down his cheeks.

"I love you so much, Grace." He whispered.

"I love you too, Dad."

Still standing where Danny left him, Steve smiled at the reunion, grasping at the neck of his bullet proof vest. _Long time coming._

Steve noticed footsteps behind him and knew it was Chin and Kono as they walked up beside him. "You knew all along, didn't you boss?" Kono asked him, squeezing his shoulder.

Steve continued to smile at Danny and Grace as they held each other. "I helped plan it. Seth wasn't going to let this go. I did it for Grace." He paused taking in the scene. ". . .and for Danny."

The cousins looked at each other. Chin slapped him on his back in a friendly manner. "You have a lot of explaining to do. Especially to Danny."

Steve smiled tiredly as he continued to watch Danny and Grace clasp onto each other. "I know. I'll wait though. . .They have a lot of catching up to do."


	9. Chapter 9

Chapter 9:

"Hey Danny! Just calling to check in. Haven't heard from you in while. Hope everything is going well. Um. . .Listen, Danny, we really need to talk. . .about everything. I know what I did was-. . .I crossed some major lines-er-well more like borders." Steve chuckled nervously into the phone. ". . .and. . .um. . .Kono said you got the files and the recordings from the interviews I was put in, but. . .um. . .I just really need to talk to you about it. Um. . .Call me when you get this. . .anytime. . .any day. . .okay, I'll talk to you later. Bye."

Steve grimaced at the lame message he just left as he hung up his phone and set it down on the side table. He sat down on his recliner in his living room. He leaned forward, forcing out a big sigh and placing his face in his hands. He ran them over his face and through his hair. He looked up and then turned to glare at his phone.

Danny hadn't been to work in 3 weeks, which was fine. He had been granted time off, due to the circumstances. Steve knew Danny needed to spend time with Grace. And he needed to be away from work, for the time being. It was probably best that he spent time away from Steve as well.

Steve furrowed his brows and looked ahead to stare at a wall as he continued to think. He hadn't been able to talk to Danny at all. He had called and left messages on the third day of Danny being away. Danny hadn't returned any of them. The only way Steve knew that Danny was okay was because Kono strode into HQ everyday with news of Danny from texting him either the night before or that morning.

Danny was shutting him out. He had to be extremely angry with him for the actions he took almost 7 months ago. Steve hadn't been given the chance to explain things to Danny. Danny did have every right to be mad, but Steve needed that chance.

Steve bit his lower lip. He hoped Danny would call back. . .and soon too.

Completely engrossed by his thoughts, he jumped when he heard his phone ring. He quickly grabbed it.

"Hello?" He answered, his voice full of hope.

"Hey."

_Damn, just Kono. _Steve scratched the side of his head. "Hey, Kono. What's up?" Steve replied, keeping his voice even, but Kono knew him all too well.

"Expecting someone else, huh?"

Steve smiled weakly. "Yeah, but no big deal. What's up?"

"Nothing, really, just calling to talk."

Steve wasn't sure if he wanted to talk to Kono right now. He really had nothing to say.

"Do you want to talk?" She asked.

"We can talk." He replied quickly.

"Okay."

Steve could hear her waiting for him to say something and he needed no more urging.

"Ugh! Okay. . .so. . .I know Danny's mad at me because of the whole situation that happened over the course of 6 months and I haven't been able to get a hold of him or explain anything to him, mainly because he wont answer my calls or my texts and I just feel like absolute crap because. . .I just know that. . ." He paused, sighing deeply. "I just know that we aren't okay. . ."

There was silence over the phone as Steve finished. It continued for another moment before Steve became embarrassed over his outburst. That wasn't like him at all.

"Wow, boss, I didn't know you were feeling this way."

"Kono, I'm sorry. I didn't mean to. . .just. . .burst out-"

"Steve, hey, don't worry about it. I'm surprised he hasn't talked to you yet. He still doesn't know what happened?"

"I don't know. You said he has the files but I don't know. It kills me to think that he still doesn't know. I really want him to know where I was coming from when I did. . .what I did. It was to protect Grace. . .and Danny too, I guess."

He could hear Kono smile over the phone. "Do you want to talk about it, Steve?"

Steve hadn't talked about the incident to anyone. He had written the report, had an interview with the governor and a judge and that had been the end of it.

"We don't have to. . .I just thought that-"

"No, no. I think it would be good to talk about it."

"Okay. Um. . ."

"What?"

"Well. . .would I be able to tell Chin? I know he's been wondering about it, too."

Steve weakly smiled. "Call him up. I'll explain everything to the both of you."

"Awesome. K, hold on."

Steve waited as he heard some taps and clicking noises. Then, he heard the ringing.

"Hey, Coz. What's up?" Chin's voice sounded into the phone.

"Hey, Chin. I'm here with Steve."

"Hey, Chin." Steve smiled as he heard the voice.

"Hey, Steve! What's up guys?"

There was a moment of silence over the phone.

"Guys?"

"Steve's ready to talk. About. . .you know." Kono finally said.

"Okay. Um. . ." Chin paused. Some shuffling was heard in the background. "Yeah. Let's talk, Steve."

Steve took in a deep breath. "It started about 7 months ago." Steve paused thinking back to it all. "It was when Seth made contact Danny. . .no, actually it was before that. . .ugh! I don't even know where to begin!" Steve rushed out frustrated, slightly overwhelmed by the task at hand now.

"Just take your time." Kono said.

"Yeah, Steve. Just start where you think is a good place to start." Chin added. "We can keep up. We're smarter than you think."

Steve laughed as he heard Chin smile over the phone. "I know you guys are. . .um. . ." He took in another deep breath. "I had been working on this case since Seth escaped from the raid that day we shot his cousin, Brandt. I looked into Seth's life. I tried finding details that would lead us to find him. So. . .when he contacted Danny that day, I knew exactly where Seth was within 30 minutes of Danny running around, trying to abide his requests when Danny knew Seth had Grace. That's what Danny needed to be doing. I'm not blaming him. . .I'm not blaming either of you guys. . .everyone did what needed to be done, when it needed to be done. You guys did right by looking into where Seth was and helping Danny out." Steve paused and swallowed.

"After I found out where Seth was at with Grace, I alerted a SWAT team. They responded and we went to the warehouse. When we got there, we snuck in. I saw Grace. . .tied up and. . .she had tears in her eyes, but never once did she cry." The memories of that day flickered in his mind so vividly. "I jumped down from the upper level and landed near Grace. That's when the fire fight started. Members from SWAT jumped out to help me. I turned to grab Grace, but. . ." He trailed off for a second. "Seth shot her."

He heard Kono gasp over the phone and Chin took in a steady breath.

"I did my best to stabilize her, in the middle of gunfire and fighting. And that's when the fire started."

"Holy crap. This is with the Benzene, right?"

"Yeah. The warehouse was full of barrels of it. It only takes a spark. . .especially with Benzene." Steve paused and swallowed. "With all the flames and smoke, and still with the gunfire, I knew I had to get Grace to safety. By the time I was able to look around, Seth was gone, along with a lot of his henchmen."

Steve took in a breath as he remembered the scene. In his mind's eye, _he had lifted Grace and carried out away from the warehouse that started to burn. Steve set her on the ground a safe distance from the warehouse and ensured they were safe. He called out for help and applied pressure to Grace's wound as she choked out and gasped for air. _

_"S-steve!" Her small, whispered voice rang loudly in his ears as he heard soft crackles of the flames behind him. _

_Steve leaned over. "Gracie, you're gonna be okay. Everything's going to be okay." He felt Grace's hand grasp onto the sleeve of his t-shirt as he held his hands over her wound. _

_"You'll be okay, Grace."_

_"It hurts. . ." Grace breathed out._

_"I know, babe, I know. Hey, will you tell me about some songs you listen to. . .you listen to One Direction, right?" _

_Grace nodded. _

_"What's your favorite song by them?" Steve was desperate. . .he needed to keep her going. _

_". . .beautiful. . ." She whispered. _

_"Yeah, right, right. Can you tell me how that one goes?" _

_Steve saw her take in a breath. "You're. . .insecure. . ." _

_Steve smiled. "Don't know what for." _

_"You're. . .turning. . .heads. . ." She faltered a little, grimacing at the pain._

_"When you walk through the door. . ." _

_His heart lightened as he saw her smile widely and let out a small chuckle. _

_"Sing with me." He said._

Steve smiled with tears in his eyes as he brought himself back to the present. "Grace was bleeding out. . .she was going to die." He paused. "She would've died if the medics didn't arrive sooner. She went into surgery and while she was in surgery, Seth called me. . ."

"He did?" Kono asked surprised.

"What did he say?" Chin added.

"He said that he was glad Grace was dead. . .Danny would know how he felt when Danny killed Brandt. He also said that he'd be back. . .and that was it. I didn't correct him with Grace because, well. . .because I knew that it would keep her safe. . .does that make any sense?"

"Yeah. If he thought she was dead, she would be safe." Kono restated.

"Yeah, you make sense, Steve. We follow." Chin chimed in.

Steve sighed in relief and continued. "After that phone call, I went to call Danny. . .he didn't pick up. That's when I called you guys. . .and on the phone, right then and there, I knew that Seth wouldn't stop. He would keep up his hunt until Danny was in as much pain as he was." Steve paused to swallow. He hated that he had to lie to everyone for so long. "I know I lied to you guys, and I am so sorry."

"No, no. Steve, you did the right thing." Chin said. "That's how I feel, at least. If you had to lie to save Grace, personally, I would want you to do it again."

"I totally agree with Chin. And. . .I don't view it as a lie, I just see it as. . .you were doing your job. You had to keep Grace safe." Steve could hear Kono smile into the phone.

Steve smiled weakly. "Thanks guys. So. . .yeah, that's basically what happened. The doctor came out of surgery and said she was stable. I called the governor and some other. . .higher up people and was able to get grounds for. . .a witness protection like thing. The fire ended up working in our favor. . .you know, because Benzene burns at such high temperatures that it can't be put out by water. It kinda has to flicker out on its own. . .thank God it burns fast, though. Anyway, you know the fragments of skull the police found after the fire was out?"

"Yeah. . ."

"Well, they belonged to some missing persons. . .and I thought it would be better to let Danny believe that Grace also died by the gunshot wound and her remains-I don't know. . .if he believed it, so would Seth."

Steve paused for a moment. "It killed me to see him the way he was. . .everyday. . .and then listening to Grace every so often-"

"You spoke to Grace during the 6 months?" Chin asked. "Isn't that. . .like, a big no-no in witness protection programs?"

Steve smiled. "This was under different circumstances. . .that little black cell phone I had. . .did you guys ever see it?"

"If you had one, you did a pretty good job keeping it hidden, 'cuz I didn't see one." Kono responded.

"Yeah, me either." Chin added.

Steve grinned. "Remember that day. . .I said my sister, Mary, called?"

"Yeah." Kono and Chin replied together.

"That was the woman who stayed with Grace for the 6 months. . .like Grace's body guard. . .one of her many." Steve paused. "Any way, the phone was specially designed. It was immune to viruses, bugs, uh-calls or other things that might try to intercept the calls that were made to me. . ." He paused again. "It broke my heart equally to hear Grace's voice every night crying for her father. . .to see him, to hear him. . ." Steve trailed off for a second. "I'm just glad it's all over and everything is. . .kinda back to normal."

"Have you ever thought about talking to someone about this. . .like a therapist. . .I mean, this must have been so hard for you, Steve. And to do it on your own?" Chin asked.

"I don't need a therapist. . .I just need Danny to hear me out." Steve said quietly as the phone call slipped into a short silence.

"Why didn't you tell Danny that Grace was really alive?" Kono asked. "I'm mean, I get that if he believed it, Seth would believe it. . .but was there another reason besides that?"

Steve had thought about that for a while. He had finally come up with an answer a few days after Seth had shot Grace. "Because. . .I knew that Danny would stop at nothing to see Grace if he knew she was alive. Not a court order, prison bars, or even a gun to his head would've stopped him. . .he would've found Grace and. . .I know that if that happened, Seth would've killed them both."

There were a few moments of silence.

"Have you talked to Danny?" Chin asked.

"No, I haven't. . .like I said to Kono earlier, it kills me to think that he still doesn't know everything."

"He will. And he'll appreciate it when he finally does know the full story. . .give him time. Remember, what he's going through is tough right now. He thought he lost his daughter and he's been without her for 6 months. He'll come around when he's ready." Chin said, reassuring him.

"Yeah, and I bet he doesn't even know what to say to you. Maybe he just feels that a 'thank you' isn't enough. He'll be back and things will go back to normal." Kono said.

"Yeah, if he ever talks to me again." Steve said depressingly.

"He will. He has to. We work together. It'll be hard to do the job and not talk about what happened." Kono chuckled.

Steve knew she was right. "Thanks. You guys are awesome." He said into the phone.

Chin and Kono turned the subject to other matters. Steve listened as he thought about Danny.

A slight doubt lingered with him. Kono's words were helpful but they didn't seem to ease his worries. He and Danny would talk eventually. It would just take time. They would talk. He just had to be patient.


	10. Chapter 10

Chapter 10:

Danny looked at his phone and sighed, rolling his eyes. Steve had called him again. He really needed to get his phone number changed. He was getting tired of Steve's persistent calling and acting like he was concerned about him and Grace.

Steve didn't care.

He spent months keeping a very important secret from Danny. Danny was about to end his life because he thought Grace was dead. . .and Steve failed to tell Danny that his daughter was alive and safe. Even thinking about Steve made Danny's insides cringe and churn with disgust and hatred. Danny wasn't planning on talking to him.

Ever again.

He placed his phone back in his pocket and shrugged his thoughts away from Steve as he turned back to the papers on his desk.

He wrote some things down on an official looking document and heard shuffling about behind him. He turned to see Grace, hair damp and in her pajamas. She had a brush in her hand and hair ties in the other.

"Hey, monkey, good shower?" He asked, scooping the papers up and placing them aside, turning his body to face her.

Grace nodded. "Yep. I was wondering if you would be willing to brush and braid my hair?"

Danny moved to take the brush and hair ties from her hand. "I would love to. Emperor's New Groove tonight? Or will it be Shrek?" He asked with a smile, standing to walk her out of his office space.

"Can we watch Finding Nemo?" Grace asked taking his hand, squeezing it lightly.

Danny smiled as they walked down the hall and turned into the family room. "Sure. Do you want popcorn?"

"Danno, it's me. Of course I want popcorn." Grace smiled at him as he laughed.

"Okay, I'll go pop some." Grace let go and knelt by the TV to set the movie up. Danny set her brush and hair ties on the couch. He walked to the archway and turned to her. "Hey."

She looked up at him.

"I love you." He smiled at her.

She smiled back. "I love you, too, Danno."

With that, he turned and walked to the kitchen.


	11. Chapter 11

Chapter 11:

Passing beams along the highway flashed on Steve's face. Steve drove in the darkness of night with rain pounding on his windshield. He focused on the road ahead of him, which was slightly slick from the evening rain. He breathed in as he gripped the steering wheel.

He couldn't take this anymore. He needed to see Danny and talk to him about everything. Steve knew it was incredibly rude and blunt, but he needed a bit of boldness to help Danny understand.

He continued to think as he guided his truck off the highway and down streets. Danny had to understand where he was coming from. It would be unreasonable for Danny to say that Steve should've told him about Grace. It was top secret. . .Grace had been in danger. Steve had to keep it a secret. The many painful conversations he had with Grace over the phone made everything better and, at the same time, all the worse. The many tears he heard Grace shed ached his heart, even to this day. Knowing how much she had missed Danny everyday made Steve's days fill with worry, anxiety, and guilt. At nights, the same worries, anxieties, and guiltiness plagued him and kept him from sleep, knowing that he had to keep everything he knew about Grace from Danny.

Steve turned down a side street and drove along, coming to a stop in front of a house with the porch lights on. Steve turned off his truck. He drew in a breath, saw Danny's Camaro and exhaled. He stepped out of his truck and walked slowly through the pouring rain, up to the house's front door.

Why was his heart racing so fast? Why did his throat go dry all of a sudden? Why was his stomach clenched in knots? Why couldn't he bring himself to knock on the door? He stood there for a minute, nervousness gripping inch of him. He brought his fist to the door and knocked. He breathed in and closed his eyes. This conversation needed to happen, whether Danny liked it or not.

. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .

_"__Look out! Waaaah!"_

_"__Ooh, ooh…"_

_"__Ohh. Oh, oh. Sorry! I didn't see you. Sir, are you okay?"_

_"__He's gone, he's gone."_

_"__There, there. It's all right."_

_"__He's gone."_

_"__It'll be okay."_

_"__No, no. They took him away. I have to find the boat."_

_"__Hey, I've seen a boat."_

_"__You have?"_

_"__It passed by not too long ago."_

_"__A white one?"_

_"__Hi. I'm Dory."_

_"__Where!? Which way!?"_

_"__Oh, oh, oh! It-it went, um, this way! And it went this way! Follow me!"_

Danny chuckled as Grace moved from her spot right next to him, with his arm around her and her arms wrapped around his waist. "I have to go to the bathroom." She said standing up and leaving the room.

"Okay, monkey. Hurry back!" He called after her.

*Tap, tap, tap*

There were small knocks on the front door. Danny looked to it and frowned. He looked at his watch. 8:15. Who was knocking on his door at this time of night?

He got up from his couch and went to the door. He pulled it open and was faced with Steve. His hair and face were dripping with rain water. _How long has he been standing out in the rain?_

Danny clenched his jaw as he looked at Steve.

"Hey." Steve looked at him.

Danny swallowed, suppressing every need to just slam the door in the man's face. "What do you want, Steve?"

_Is this going to work?_ Danny was pissed. "Um. . .I came over to, um. . .to talk."

Danny pressed his tongue against his lower teeth and his cheek. "I don't have time for this, Steve-"

"It will take 2 seconds. Please just let me explain."

Danny gritted his teeth. "Steve, I can't talk to you right now-"

"Danny, please. Just give me a chance." Steve spoke firmly.

Danny could feel anger and rage rise inside him. "Give you a chance? Give you a chance?! You've had nothing but chances everyday I spent thinking that my little girl was dead! You have had plenty of chances! Those days I spent crying in front of you, looking for comfort. . .You knew-you knew the whole time that my daughter was alive and you don't tell me? Because every time you saw me, wallowing in grief over, what I thought, was the death of my daughter, you didn't have the chance to tell me, right?"

Steve stood there, taking in Danny's rage. Steve had expected it, but not for it to be this explosive. "Danny, I-"

"You what? You want to say sorry for allowing me to think my only child was dead? For lying to me?! About the one person in my life that I live for?! That I would die for?! You want to say sorry for keeping her safe and hidden away in protective custody without telling me?! You what, Steve?! You what?!"

Steve could only look at him. Realization hit him hard. Danny wasn't ready to hear him out. Not yet. The question is, would he ever be?

"Just get out of here, Steve. I have nothing else to say to you." Danny spat at him.

"Danny-"

"No, Steve. I heard your message. . .you said you 'crossed some major borders' by not telling me something that concerned my daughter? Well, guess what? You did. And keeping that information from me is something that I don't easily forget. . .or forgive."

It felt like Steve had been punched in the gut. Knots bound and twisted in his stomach. It couldn't get much worse than this.

Danny took in a deep breath. "I'm filing to be placed in some department. I talked to the governor and he cleared it. I'll be working as a detective for the police force."

The air had been drawn from his lungs. Steve couldn't breathe as he took in Danny's words. _He filed for a transfer?_

"I won't be returning to 5-0. So, thanks for all of the 'amazing opportunities', I guess." Danny said smugly, sarcasm glazed over his words.

"Danny-"

"This is not up for discussion, Commander."

That did it for Steve. It felt like Danny had just thrown a bag of bricks against his chest. He couldn't bring himself to say anything.

Danny went to close the door.

Steve put his hand to the door to prevent it from closing. "Danny, please-"

A roaring rage surged through Danny as he opened the door and threw a fist.

Steve didn't have time to block the hit, and Danny's fist made contact, hitting him square in the eye. Pain spread from his eye up his face as he stumbled backwards into the rain.

"Have a nice life." Danny mumbled as he slammed the door.

Steve heard the deafening lock of the door. Steve straightened himself up and stared at the door for a second. It made him hurt to think, no, to feel every feeling he had for Danny. The pain in his chest didn't cease as he continued to stare at the door. He took in a ragged breath as he felt tears begin to form in his freshly hit eye.

Steve huffed out a single breath and shook his head. Rain, or perhaps tears, fell down his face. He brought a hand up to his right eye and touched it lightly. _Yep, Danny knows how to throw a punch._

Feeling like the world bore down on his shoulders, Steve walked to his truck, misery clinging to him. A cloudiness had begun to cover his right eye. He got in his truck, turned it on, and drove away. _So. . .this is what it feels like to loose your best friend. . .and the person you-_

Steve gasped at the thought. _Was this love? Surely, I knew I had feelings for Danny before, but had it been love the whole time? Love. . .for Danny?_ Steve gripped his steering wheel. _Pick yourself up, Steve. You have to move on._ Steve found it hard to breathe as he turned down a street. Even though this was painful, Steve thought he'd be feeling more hurt, more emotional pain. Instead, it was like he was starting to go numb. The full reality of the situation hadn't seemed to hit him yet. When it did, it would hurt, and a lot more than a punch to the eye.


	12. Chapter 12

Chapter 12:

Danny slammed the door and locked it. He ran a hand through his hair and shook his hand that he used to punch with. Steve had some nerve.

Danny turned and saw Grace standing at the archway. _Crap. How much did she see?_ "Hey! Back so soon?"

Grace crossed her arms in front of her chest. "Who was that?"

"Oh, that was-" Danny turned to look at the door and back to Grace. "No one. It was no one."

"It was Uncle Steve, Danno."

Danny shrugged. "Okay, so, yeah. It was Uncle Steve."

"Uncle Steve is not a no one. Why were you yelling at him?" Grace asked, a hint of upset and heat on her voice.

Danny sighed. "Come here. Let's sit."

Grace followed him to the dining area and sat across from him at the table.

Danny sat down and took Grace's hand. "Grace, babe. 6 months ago, I thought my life ended. When Uncle Steve told me that you were gone. . ." He looked into her eyes. "I didn't know how to go on with life. My life stopped at that moment, sweetheart. For Steve to lie, and say that you were dead and that I would never see you again. . .that's something I can't forgive someone for."

"He never told you I was dead. He made sure to tell you that I was _gone_. . .which I was, Danno. I was gone. Gone from home, gone from Hawaii. So. . .really, he didn't lie to you."

"But he didn't tell the whole truth either."

"He couldn't, Danno!" Grace yelled. "He had to keep things from you and from me while I was in hiding. He was protecting me! He was protecting you!" Grace's voice was furious. Danny could see the fire in her eyes and the frustration set on her face.

"Grace." Danny spoke firmly to her. "He did a bad thing. He didn't tell me where you were. He didn't tell me you were alright and safe. He led me to believe that you were dead. Friends don't do that."

"Uncle Steve isn't a 'friend' though." Grace said enraged, her flaring eyes burning into his. "He's family." Grace fiercely.

It felt like the air had been sucked out of his lungs. Steve _had_ been family. A tiny voice rose in Danny's mind. _No, he is family._

Danny swallowed and took a deep breath. "Then families don't do that to each other, Grace. He did something to me, to us, that I will not be able to get past."

Grace shoved his hands away. "_You_ won't be able to get past this?! Think of what this did to Steve!"

Danny shook his head. "Grace, all he did was keep things from me, things that I had a right to know as a parent. As _your_ parent."

Grace gritted her teeth. "Do you not see what he did, Dad?! He _saved_ me. . .he kept _harm_ away from me! That is what you do. . ._all_ the time! Everyday! You've said it yourself before! It's your whole life protecting me!" She paused, glaring at him. "This was hard on him, too, Dad. He had to keep this a secret."

Danny shook his head. "Keeping secrets is not a hard thing, Grace, and I'm done talking about this."

"NO, DAD! You say sorry to Uncle Steve! He did nothing wrong!"

"Grace!" Danny's voice was firm. He sighed and tried to get his emotions in check before speaking.

Grace shook her head, biting her lower lip. She stood up and stormed out of the room.

"Grace. . .Grace!"

All Danny heard was a SLAM as it echoed through the house. Danny sighed again, running his hand through his hair and looking out the window as he sat back in his chair. It still rained and the world looked dreary. Danny folded his arms and thought about Grace's words. Everything that she said. . .made sense.

Danny didn't want to be wrong. He hated being wrong. But he couldn't deny the fact that Grace was right. . .

_She was right._

Steve had been there. Even when Danny thought Grace was dead, Steve was there. Cooking, cleaning, comforting. . .even reassuring at times.

Danny stood up and walked about his house, continuing to think.

_Had it been hard for Steve? _Danny thought to himself.

_What did he go through during the 6 months?_ _Let's see. On a completely, unbiased level, Steve had not being able to tell me, his co-worker and friend, about my daughter as I was, basically, on a path to self destruction. That must've been hard. . .to watch me deteriorate when he knew that Grace was alive. Not only did he save Grace, but he saved me. . .if he hadn't been there, constantly watching my back, caring for me, and looking out for me, I know I would've made the biggest mistake of my life. . .especially since Grace wasn't really dead._

Danny's chest clenched and he took in a sharp breath. He placed a hand on the archway to steady himself as realization after realization hit him over and over again. A memory was hurled into his mind, back to that day in the warehouse with Seth, when he had spoke of those who offer protection and those who are always there for you. . .and those people being your true love.

Danny sucked in air as the scene flashed in his mind.

_"__I know what true love is. True love is. . .it's a lot of things! It's when someone protects you. . .and those you love. It's someone that never forgets you, even when you are going through your most difficult times. . .It's someone who is always there for you." _

Danny couldn't breathe as he thought about what he had said.

_True love is when someone protects you. . .and those you love._

_True love is when someone never forgets you, even in your darkest times._

_True love is when someone is always there for you._

Steve had done all of the above. . .and more. He was caring, compassionate, and had done everything Danny could have ask for.

Danny walked through the hall, next to the kitchen and into the family room. Danny looked up at the T.V., surprised that it wasn't making noises. It was buzzing forward through the entire movie on fast forward. The remote was on the ground. _Grace must have knocked it over at some point. _He went to stop the movie, but it played instead and the noises made Danny looked to the screen.

_"__Nemo?"_

_"__Daddy!"_

_"__Nemo?"_

_"__Dad!"_

_"__Nemo's alive!" _

_"__Dory? Nemo!"_

_"__Daddy!"_

Danny watched the reunion of the fish. It reminded him of his own reunion with Grace. That moment of pure unbelievable bliss as he had held onto Grace. . .just like Marlin and Nemo's reunion.

_And just like Dory had been there for Marlin, Steve had been there for me. . .during my darkest hour, he was there. He had been the one to save me from myself. . .without him, I know I would've done it. He was there for me. . .He saved me. And Grace._

Danny felt his eyes start to well up at the movie.

Steve had saved his baby girl, and himself. _And I repaid him by slamming my fist in his face?_ Danny sucked in a breath at all of the understandings.

Steve had saved Grace and had been his saving grace.

_How do I fix this?_

_. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . _

Steve woke up the next morning in his recliner. He opened his eyes a little, wincing as he tried to open his right eye. It was swollen and throbbing.

_Ice. . .now._ Steve groaned as he heaved himself out of his chair. Throbbing heat spread to his temples, causing an ache in his head. He walked slowly to the kitchen, stumbling slightly and making his way to his freezer. He grabbed an ice bag he made the previous night and brought it to his face. He then walked to a cabinet and pulled out some pain pills, swallowing them down with a glass of water before setting the ice to his face again. _Why is this pain amplified so much? Is it possible one could feel more pain if they were emotionally hurt as well?_

He walked back to his recliner and sat in it. The bruise throbbed with hurt. Steve swallowed as he turned on his T.V. He couldn't focus on anything the T.V. was saying. All he could think about was Danny and their now desolate relationship.

. . . . . . . . . . . . . .

Danny placed his car in park in front of Rachel's and Stan's home. He watched as Grace unbuckled her seat belt. They hadn't really spoken at all. The angry words from last night hung thickly in the air between them.

"I'll see you later." Grace said stiffly to Danny as she reached for her door.

"Grace." Danny spoke firmly. She stopped. "You were right."

Grace turned to look at her father as he shifted in his seat.

"Look, monkey, I'm sorry I got mad last night. I was angry with Steve and I took it out on you."

Grace stared at him as he continued.

"Also I. . .I was angry with Steve when I don't think I shouldn't have been. I lashed out when I shouldn't have. I didn't see things the way you did. After you went to your room last night, I thought about everything that has happened and what Steve has done for us and you are right. He's family. What he did. . .was done for the both of us. And I guess. . .I owe him a lot. . .for keeping you safe and for keeping me safe."

Grace displayed a soft smile. Anger seemed to dissipate between them.

"He did everything for us. He did exactly what I would have done. Thank you for helping me see that."

Grace fiddled with her bracelet before speaking. "Are you going to talk to Uncle Steve?"

Danny smiled at her. "I probably should, huh?"

Grace nodded. "Yeah, and I'll be calling him tonight to make sure you do."

"Oooo, a deadline." Danny chuckled at his daughter's urging.

Grace laughed. Danny's heart tugged as he watched her smile and tilt her head back in laughter. He had missed that about her over the months of her being away.

"Are we okay?" Danny asked her.

Grace nodded. "Yep. And I'm sorry for yelling last night."

"It's okay. I think I would've yelled too."

Grace smiled at Danny. "Walk me to the door?"

"But, of course, my lady!" He stepped out of his car and quickly jogged to her door, opening it and taking her hand as she stepped out.

"Why, thank you, kind Sir." Grace smiled at her father. She linked their arms and walked next to him. He grabbed her bag and slung it over his shoulder.

They walked to the door and Danny turned to Grace, grabbing her hands. "Grace, monkey, I love you so much. I had a lot of fun together these past couple weeks."

"I had fun, too. I love you, too, Danno."

"We'll talk tonight, okay?"

"After you talk to Uncle Steve, right?"

Danny chuckled. "Yes, after I talk to him."

Grace grinned and hugged her father tightly, enveloping Danny with a wave of love. Danny pulled her in close and tight, enjoying the moment of being close to her and having her near him.

. . . . . . . . . . . . .

After saying goodbye to Grace, stopping by the store, and driving to Steve's, Danny sat in his car in Steve's driveway. He tried to think about what he was going to say when Steve would open the door. It was possible Steve would just shut the door on him, like he had done to Steve the night before. He shook the thought from his mind. _No, this is good. We'll talk and everything will be fixed. Hopefully._

He got out of his car and walked up to Steve's front door. He had no idea what he was going to say. He felt nervous and anxious. Telling Steve what was going through his head wouldn't be easy, but it needed to happen. He stepped up to the door with more confidence and knocked twice on the door.

It felt like minutes passed when he knocked again, this time 3 times. He could feel his heart pound in his chest.


	13. Chapter 13

Chapter 13:

_*Knock, Knock*_

Steve looked up at he heard the loud raps at the door.

_*Knock, Knock, Knock*_

He frowned at the repeated, impatient knocking. He made his way to the door and opened it.

Steve felt his heart alleviate from the pain he had been feeling all day as he looked at the expectant face that turned to look at him. Steve was surprised to see the innocent, anxious blue eyes took in his gaze and his furrowed brows accented his face in a sympathetic look.

"Hi." Danny said.

"Hey." Steve replied leaning on against his door.

Danny licked his lower lips, pausing before he continued. "What that all from me?" He gestured to his eye.

Steve bit his lower lip. Danny looked like he was here to mend some fences. Steve was relieved to think that he would finally be able to talk to Danny. However, feelings of mischief crept into his thoughts. Steve was cruel for feeling like he needed to mess with him, but it was Danny. . .and Steve was only human.

"No. After you hit me so squarely last night, and amazingly left no bruise, I was so disoriented I walked into a bar, picked a fight, and some bikers got incredibly friendly, and decided to use me as a punching bag."

Steve looked so serious. Danny felt awful as Steve spoke those words. How could he explain to Steve where he was coming from, say he was sorry _and _explain his new outlook? "Um, can we talk?"

Steve looked at him blankly. "I have nothing to say to you, Detective."

"Please, Steve. I'm really sorry about last night. It was totally uncalled for and. . .please, let's just talk. Give me a chance."

Danny watched him lift his face which was filled with disgust. With a roll of his eyes, Steve closed the door.

Danny felt his shoulders slump in disappoint. He didn't expect this. _What do I do now? I guess I now know how he felt last night. . .at least I got off light. _

Inside the house, Steve smiled and chuckled to himself quietly for a second as he stood next to the door. _Sick idea of a joke._ He thought to himself before he opened the door again, smiling at Danny. "I'm sorry, Danny. Come on in."

Relief flooded through Danny as he smiled and entered his house. "You have a sick sense of humor, you know that?"

"I've been told. What's in the bag?" Steve asked as he closed the door.

"Um, gifts. For you."

"You brought me gifts?"

"Um. . .yeah. Sorbet. . .for my stubbornness." Danny reached into the bag and handed the pint to Steve. Steve smiled as he looked at the label. _Sorbet. . .Raspberry. . .He remembered._

"A six pack. . .for friendship." He brought out the six pack and set it on the table. Steve brushed the beers smiling again as he saw that Danny remembered his favorite beer.

"And. . ." He pulled the item out. "Ice. . .for the pain. . .I've caused."

Steve laughed as Danny smiled holding a small bag of ice. "Thank you, Danny."

"No, Steve, I should be thanking you." He could feel his heart beat in his chest. "Listen, I am really sorry for the way I acted last night. There was no excuse for it. . .look. . .see. . .I was watching Finding Nemo last night, and-"

"Sorry, what?"

"I was watching Finding Nemo last night with Grace and-"

"What's a Finding Nemo?" Steve looked beyond confused.

Danny gave him an exasperated look. "You can't tell me you've never-" He observed the man's adorable furrowed brows over his big hazel puppy like eyes and tilted head. "Never mind. Finding Nemo is an animated film about this fish that looses his son and he spends the length movie looking for his son. Anyhow, I was watching it after we had our argument and after I argued with Grace-"

"You had an argument with Grace?" Steve looked concerned. "Are you guys okay?"

"Yeah. . .we worked it out. . .which reminds me, she'll be calling you later."

Steve smiled. "Glad you guys worked it out. What happened?"

"She found out what I said to you. She overheard the whole thing. . .me yelling at you. . .and then me hitting you. . ."

"Rough conversation I suppose."

"Yeah. Anyhow, I was watching this scene in the movie when the fish reunite and. . .crap, this sounds so stupid."

Steve chuckled at him as he walked to the kitchen with Danny's gifts. "Just. . .say what's on your mind. Come on." He walked into the kitchen and placed the ice in the freezer and the beer in the fridge. "Do you want anything?"

"Nah, I'm good."

Steve leaned against the counter and opened the sorbet container. "Alright. Sorry. Continue on with what you were saying, please."

Danny took a deep breath. "I guess what I'm trying to say is. . .all this time I was focused on how this affected me and. . .how what you did had hurt me and. . .all this crap when I should have been focusing on how this affected Grace. . .and how it affected you."

He looked at Steve and took in a breath. "I can't imagine what this did to you. Having to watch your co-worker and friend fall into an. . .an abyss of sorts, thinking his daughter was dead. . .I can't tell you how grateful I am that you kept me afloat on days I was sure I'd drown. I know that last night I was totally rude and disrespectful and just. . .behaving like an asshole."

Steve chuckled as he spooned some of the sorbet up and placed it in his mouth. Danny smiled a little as he continued.

"I'm sorry for hitting you and. . .I would understand if you never wanted to associate yourself with me again. . .I realize now what you did for me and for Grace and. . ." He paused as he watched Steve spoon another small portion of the raspberry sorbet in his mouth. _This is it. . .this is the moment. . ._"I love you for it."

Steve looked up at his words as the frozen dessert coated and melted on his palate. Even though it was formatted in a friendly way, Danny's big, blue, anxious-looking eyes, his open mouth letting out small breaths of air and his slightly heaving chest said something completely different than 'I love you, pal.'

Steve brought a finger to mouth as he attempted to swallow, finding it difficult because of his heartbeat throbbing in his throat at Danny's words. When he managed to, he spoke. "Pardon?" Steve's eyebrows rose. He could feel his heart pounding in his chest as the tightening sensation accompanied the beating.

"Steve. . .I-" Danny broke off. _This is turning out all wrong. _All he could do was stare at Steve, the handsome man with beautiful hazel eyes that stared widely at him, trying to understand what Danny was conveying to him. Danny couldn't get a grip on himself as he licked his lower lip and flicked his glance quickly to Steve's lips and back to his eyes.

Before he could begin to fathom what he was doing, Danny stepped quickly to Steve, grabbing his neck with both hands and pulling him in for a kiss. If Steve, in no way, felt the same as Danny did, Danny knew he would have a bruise that matched Steve's. . .and as of right now. . .he was okay with that.

_A kiss. . .Oh, god, his lips. . .wait, what?!_ Steve couldn't believe this as Danny held onto him. He felt caught in a trance and shock run through his veins as his breathing stopped. He felt the pint of sorbet and the spoon slip out of his hands, falling to the floor, creating a loud clang and splat that echoed in Steve's ears.

Steve grasped onto Danny's waist, pulling him in close. His lips moved slightly against Danny's. It had been too long. . .to long of backing away from the feelings that grew in his heart everyday for Danny. Steve was relieved to finally have the opportunity to show them. And he would not hide them. . .he would show them in as many ways as he could.

_He__'__s kissing me back. . .oh, thank god._ Danny felt so relieved, he could feel himself shaking slightly against Steve's lips as he ran his hand up the base of Steve's neck, grasping onto his hair. His other hand drifted to settle on Steve's shoulder.

Steve's arm wrapped around and held onto Danny's hip as the other softly grazed onto the area between his shoulders blades. Steve never thought this could happen with them. All those days comforting Danny, consoling him, protecting him. . .everyone single one of them was worth it and Steve knew he would do it over and over again if the ending was Danny being here, in his kitchen, confessing his feelings and kissing him.

They mutually broke the kiss, staying close.

"What are you saying, Danny?" Steve asked, looking down to his lips and back to his eyes.

Danny could feel his chest tense and his heart raced as he swallowed looking to Steve's eyes. "I am saying that. . .I, uh. . ." _Screw this. I__'__m done running and hiding._ "I love you." He looked deeply into Steve's eyes, seeking for his acceptance. "I love you, Steve."

Steve looked at him, searching his eyes. The shimmering, the happiness, the truth shone through those blue eyes. _He does. _Steve smiled.

"I love how insane you are and how you drive me crazy. . .what with driving my car, and-and almost getting me killed every week. . .I love that you love Grace and treat her like your own. . .I. . .I just love you."

Steve smiled more at him. "You've gone all soft and cuddly on me, Detective."

Danny laughed and brought back his gaze to Steve's eyes.

"I love you, too." Steve said quietly as he looked down.

"You do?"

Steve looked up and grasped onto the man's arms. "Of course, I do. What would make you ever think differently?"

Danny weakly smiled. "Well, for starters the words I said last night. . .and a punch to the eye to top it. . ."

Steve grinned. "Even though what happened last night. . .happened. . ." Steve shrugged. "It doesn't matter. As long as you forgive me. . .for all the crap I've put you through the past 7 months?"

Danny smiled at him. He brought a hand to Steve's chin, gently brushing it. "You did right by me."

Steve smiled and closed his eyes gently at the touch before opening them again. "Danny. . .

um. . ." He took Danny's hands and held them. He looked at their worn hands, now able to clasp onto each other so freely, without any hesitation or awkwardness.

"Yes?"

Steve looked back up into Danny's eyes. "I did it for Grace. . .and for you." He paused, running his tongue along his lower lip before he spoke. "The whole thing. . .I know I lied and led you on. I know that it was painful for you and equally as painful but joyous to see Grace again." He took in a breath, glancing down Danny's face and back to his eyes. "I know I should've told you. . ."

"But it would've put Grace in danger." Danny finished for him. "I know."

Steve could feel his chest tighten in appreciation and adoration for the man that stood before him. "I'm glad you understand. And I'm really sorry."

"Don't be. You did right." Danny smiled. "You did right." He whispered as he quickly placed his lips to Steve's. Danny held him close, clinging onto him with deep desire.

Steve parted his lips as he felt Danny's tongue begging to feel his own. Danny plunged into his mouth as soon as he felt Steve part his lips. The need to feel, to taste, to take in every part of Steve overwhelmed him as he pulled the man closer to his body.

Steve grinned with Danny still in his mouth. He still couldn't believe this was happening. Steve guided Danny to turn with his hands that slipped to Danny's back, their lips still plastered together. His hands drifted to Danny's hips and he heaved Danny on the cool kitchen counter, their kiss breaking slightly.

Danny gained back his position on Steve's lips and his hands wrapped tightly around Steve's neck. Steve inched closer to his body, his abdomen brushing against Danny's slightly tented pants. Steve smiled as he felt Danny grasp onto the yoke of his shirt. Steve knew what was coming as Danny tugged at it. Steve went with his movements and took a step away as Danny held onto his shirt.

Danny inhaled sharply as his eyes gazed along Steve's toned build. Steve always looked magnificent with his shirt off. Goosebumps ran along his flesh as his gaze rose to Steve's. The lustful passion hung heavy in the darkened eyes.

Steve gazed softly at Danny. Steve had to admit that Danny turned him on. Danny turned him on so much. . .grasping tightly onto his shirt and holding it close his chest, looking at him with parted lips, a slightly heaving chest. . .an exhilarated energy filling his eyes. Steve stepped closer to Danny. He heard Danny draw in a breath as he placed his lips back to Danny's, where they belonged.

Danny placed his arms back around Steve's neck and encased Steve's body with his legs, wrapping them around his waist. Steve smiled as his fingers wandered down Danny's shirt. He tugged at it and paused from his lips momentarily to pull the t-shirt off Danny.

Finally out of his shirt, Danny stared into Steve's eyes. Steve broke his gaze as he looked down Danny's body. The burns on Danny's torso caught his eye. . .the scars that had been created weeks ago. They basically had healed over and just looked pink.

Danny gritted his teeth as Steve stared at his ugly scars. The big X on his stomach was enough to make him hurl. Why wouldn't Steve do the same?

Steve only looked at them before stepping in closer to graze his fingers over it. "Do they hurt?" He asked in a whisper, his face close to Danny's.

Danny shook his head, still anxious as Steve studied them, his fingers tracing over them. "Sometimes." He spoke softly. "Less so, now."

"They've healed nicely." Steve smiled and looked up at Danny. He ran his thumb over one of the long strips of scar tissue.

"Um. . .yeah, they have, I guess." Danny paused. "I hope they continue to. . .I don't care for them all that much. In fact, I kinda hate them." Steve's movement tickled and Danny clenched his muscles as goosebumps appeared along his thighs and arms. He huffed out a breath as Steve did it again.

Steve looked back down to the scars. Danny slumped a little. _Can he not? What is so fascinating about these disgusting defacements?_

Steve smiled at the scars. Danny had come so far. . .dealing with what he thought was the death of Grace and then dealing with Seth. . .Steve was proud of him and gazed at all that was left to remind Danny of the nightmare. Steve hoped Danny wouldn't think of them as a nightmare. . .they spoke more about his recovery to Steve than about his trials. _But if they do bring nightmares. . ._

Steve didn't want them to bring nightmares. He leaned closer to them, running his nose along the length of one, before placing a kiss to the middle, where the two diagonal lines met.

Danny gasped as Steve kissed him, and even more so as he felt Steve's velvety tongue slip out and run the length of the other. Danny closed his eyes as Steve kissed his way back down the pink mark.

Steve kissed his way up Danny's body. . .from the scars. . .to his chest. . .up to his neck. . .to his chin. . .and then Steve looked into Danny's eyes.

"Don't hate them."

Danny stared back at him. "Why not?"

Steve smiled. "I see them as an achievement. . .a milestone on how far you've come."

Danny had never thought of them that way before. They had just seemed like a reminder of what Seth had done to him. . .that day in the warehouse.

Steve leaned in and kissed Danny's shoulder and then his neck.

_If Steve doesn__'__t hate them. . .then maybe they__'__re not so bad._ Danny smiled lightly at Steve's kisses as the man pulled away from his neck to look at him.

_Maybe, they__'__re okay. . ._

Danny pulled him in again. Danny kissed him possessively, clinging onto Steve's body tightly, hands encasing the man's strong jaw and brawny neck. The feelings that erupted to the surface slightly overwhelmed Danny with desirous emotions that coursed through the both of them.

"Are. . .are we seriously doing this?" Danny gasped out as Steve broke from his lips and found Danny's neck, beginning to kiss and suck on a particular spot, like it was a piece of sweet, tangy pineapple. Danny took in a sharp breath.

Steve's voice was gruff and forced as he replied. ". . .only if you want to." His lips brushed against his neck as he spoke, causing rippling shivers to go through his body.

Danny grinned as he closed his eyes, feeling Steve's tongue sway and twist against his neck. "Oh, I want to. I want to. . .so. . ."

"Bad?" Steve grinned before placing his lips back to Danny's neck. He bit down on Danny's neck, giving just a little nip, which caused Danny to gasp.

"Yes. Oh, God, Steve, I do."

"You want it bad. . ." Steve began. "How else do you want it?

Danny smiled as he let out a small noise similar to a whimper. "I want it-I want it. . ." Thoughts only teased his mind. He couldn't seem to form the words that related to the images in his mind. He grasped onto Steve's hair. "Oh, God, I don't know. . .all I know is that I want it." Danny bit his lower lip into a smile as Steve had switched to the other side of his neck, trailing his tongue along, making a path before he landed at a spot that made Danny grip his hair a little more tightly. "And I only want it with you." He whispered into Steve's ear.

Those words made Steve's heart soar as he lifted from Danny's neck. He locked eyes with Danny and drew closer, placing a kiss to the man's lips. He pulled away, still close to Danny's face. "If you want it. . ." He paused, brushing his nose softly along Danny's. "Let's go. . ."

Keeping eye contact, like it was some sort of seductive dance, Danny slowly moved off the counter into Steve's body as Steve didn't move much to give him room to hop down.

Steve grabbed his hand and pulled him through his kitchen and living room, up the stairs, down the hall, and into his room. He placed Danny's body against the wall as Danny pulled him in closer with much force. Desperate to feel each other's lips again, they crashed their lips together. Steve gripped onto Danny's neck as Danny pulled Steve in with his hands on Steve's burly back.

Steve's hips gyrated against Danny's, making him quiver at the sensations that rose from the pleasurable movement against his already hard dick.

Danny's hands wandered down Steve's back and to his waist. He tugged at his bottoms as Steve continued to grip onto him and kiss him. Steve smiled and lowered his hands to Danny's pant line. They played at each other's midriffs, grasping onto each other's pant lines. Their finger's grazed along each other's abdomens, causing shivers to ripple through their bodies. Danny found Steve's pant opening, unbuttoning it and slowly unzipping the zipper.

Steve did the same to Danny's jeans. He felt air fly over his feet as Danny's bottoms dropped to the floor. He grabbed the elastic band that hugged Danny's waist. He paused from Danny's lips, quickly pulling down Danny's undergarment. Steve ran his hands up Danny's legs and thighs, settling at his hips before finding his way back to Danny's lips, encasing them in a possessive kiss.

Danny pulled him close and felt Steve's hands drift down his hips, grasping his ass and then snaking around his body, cocooning Danny in his hold. Danny smiled, absolutely loving the feel of Steve's bare skin against his.

Steve broke and stepped back from Danny's naked body. Steve stripped off his bottoms and stood up at full length. Steve looked up to Danny. There was a moment of sheer enchantment as they locked eyes. Lust, passion, and excitement electrified the air between them. Danny broke first, looking down Steve's body, eying Steve's groin area, taking in his hips, thighs, and the entire package.

Steve looked up and down Danny's figure. Excitement fluttered through him at seeing Danny this way for the first time. His cheeks burned slightly before looking back to Danny's gaze. He walked back to Danny. He softly pressed his stature against Danny's. Danny felt his breath catch before Steve leaned closer and kissed him gently. Steve's hands danced down Danny's body. Steve's hand continued to the man's hips. . .around his waist. . .slowly down. . .until he found what he was looking for.

Danny grinned as he tilted his head back to the wall and closed his eyes as Steve took hold of him and stroked him, softly encouraging his desires to climb high.

Steve smiled at Danny's reaction and placed a kiss to Danny's exposed neck. He loved seeing Danny like this. . .and if he loved him now, Steve could only imagine how he'll feel after. . .with both of them spent and blown into oblivion. The only hard part of that would be getting to that beautiful, mind boggling moment.

Steve pulled from his neck and felt the fire in his eyes as he stared into Danny's already passion blown eyes. Never severing the predatory gaze he gave Danny, Steve pulled Danny from the wall and walked them slowly to his bed. Backing Danny toward the bed, Steve noticed the man slowly run his tongue along his lower lip.

Danny drew in a breath as the back of his legs found the cool sheets that rested on the bed. He breathed shallowly as Steve advanced them on the bed. Danny could feel his throat go dry and his heart pound in his chest as his hands landed on the bed and his arms shook slightly as they held him up. Steve towered over him, that predacious stare still fixed to Danny's eyes.

Steve followed Danny's movements as Danny scooted up the bed beneath him. Steve placed a knee in between Danny's legs and the other near Danny's left thigh. As Danny placed his head on the smooth sheets, Steve proceeded to descend to his captivating lips. Feeling his lips against his own made Danny's heart leap.

Steve's lower abdomen jumped as he felt Danny grasp him. Danny caressed him rhythmically. Steve broke their kiss, lips still close to Danny's. He gasped as Danny continued with his movements.

Danny sat up and placed a kiss to Steve's neck. "Danny. . ." Steve whispered as his eyes closed and his hips moved toward Danny's hand that still stroked him. Danny smiled as his name fell off Steve's lips so easily and so gently. He dragged his teeth along Steve's neck receiving a deep snarl from him as Danny gave a small nip.

Danny settled back down onto the bed, gazing back up at Steve.

Steve stooped down and joined their lips together. Danny reached around Steve's hips to grab his ass. Steve swiveled his hips into Danny's.

"Steve, I want you now." Danny breathed, fingers digging into his hips creating a slight pain in Steve.

"Okay, okay." Steve grinned. He reached in his bed side table and fiddled in the drawer.

Danny smiled as Steve leaned over him. He lifted his head from the bed and passed his tongue over Steve's nipple.

"Detective, detective. What do you think you're doing?" Steve chuckled as he continued to look for his items in the drawer.

"Nothing." Danny said sheepishly as he placed his lips back around Steve's nipple. "Find what you're looking for yet?"

Steve grinned as he placed the items next to Danny's shoulder on the bed. "Yep." He looked back to Danny and kissed him, letting his emotions fill the kiss.

Steve pulled from him and Danny laid his head back to the bed. Danny closed his eyes and smiled at the reality of the situation. Just under 24 hours ago, he thought he'd never speak to Steve again. And here they were, speaking, smiling, and laughing with each other. . .as well as. . .loving each other. Danny couldn't believe it.

In fact, he was so sure this was still not entirely real, that he didn't notice Steve putting lube on his fingers and begin to play at his hole. He only came back to reality when Steve pushed into him. Danny's eyes flashed open and he gasped out as Steve looked into his eyes.

"Steve. . .now." Danny begged as he closed his eyes again.

Steve chuckled as he moved his fingers in and out of Danny. "Okay, okay, hold on." Steve tried to hurry his movements as Danny turned his head back and forth, wriggling and smiling.

"Now. . ." Danny finally said grabbing Steve's cheeks and pulling him in to his lips, desperate to feel Steve, to touch him, to love him. He smiled against Steve's lips. "Now, babe. Now." He repeated against his lips.

Steve chuckled at his eagerness as his fingers slipped out of Danny and he placed his hand next to Danny's chest to catch himself from falling right on top of Danny.

Danny pushed his hips up to meet Steve's body. The need and absolute desire to feel Steve and be close to him was affecting Danny like no other emotion or feeling he had ever encountered before.

Steve pulled away and reached for the little package.

Danny placed his head back to the bed and closed his eyes again, taking in deep breaths through smiling lips. He thought his heart was going to burst with excitement and anticipation as he listen to the crinkling wrapper and Steve's steady breathing.

Danny opened his eyes and watched as Steve brushed his cock up against his hole. Danny glanced up and smiled at Steve's face, concentrating on every movement he performed. Danny looked back down and relaxed himself as he watched Steve disappear into him, filling him with joy, pleasure, and gratification. Danny tilted his head back onto the pillow, closing his eyes, smiling as Steve slowly squeezed into him. He brought his hands above him and he grasped onto the pillow that cradled his head.

Steve grinned at Danny's reaction and leaned over him, placing his hands on bed next to Danny's chest. Steve drew back and pushed slowly back into him. The movement made Danny gasp and he gripped the pillow a little harder.

Steve kept his movements slow, even though he was finding it extremely difficult. _Danny feels so amazing. . .so good. _

Danny dropped his mouth open and let out a small breath as Steve continued his slow movements. _God, he feels so incredible. . ._

Steve leaned closer and placed kisses on Danny's neck and chest. Just simple kisses that made Danny smile and chuckle softly.

Danny's tightness aroused Steve as he threw his head back and rushed out a sigh as shivers chased after each other through his body. He shoved himself in a few quick movements into Danny, sensations overwhelming him.

Danny whimpered out. "Babe. . ." Danny gasped out as he placed a hand to Steve's lower abdomen. "Slow down a bit." He groaned out with a smile, placing his arms around Steve's back.

Steve chuckled as he slowed. "Sorry. . .you feel so good." Steve breathed in. He scooped his arms under Danny's to cradle him gently, drawing closer to Danny.

Danny rose his head up and bit his lower lip. "You do, too, babe." His jaw dropped as Steve pushed slowly into him again. "Oh, God." He moaned out. He wrapped his legs around Steve's waist as Steve's sturdy stature drove into him.

Steve grinned as he felt Danny legs wrap around him, encasing him and drawing him closer to him. Steve watched as he pushed into him. The man tilted back his head, biting his lower lip in a smile. Steve placed his lips to Danny's neck, his tongue peaking out and moving in serpentine motions along his neck.

"Steve. . ." Danny whispered as Steve sucked hard on his neck, creating shivers that ran through him.

Steve grinned against his neck and he connected his lips to Danny's soft neck. He gave series of little nips causing Danny to breathe heavily against Steve's shoulder.

"Faster, Steve." Danny whispered out.

Steve sped up his pace a little, trying to keep it even and in control, even though it was proving to be extremely difficult.

Even, steady waves of desire rolled through Danny with every movement Steve delivered. Until Steve decided to push into him in long, hard, deep thrusts.

Danny gasped and let out a cry. "Steve! Fuck!" He gripped onto Steve's back as each tidal wave of pleasure spread through him. Danny couldn't stifle back the noises that he made as Steve continued with his thrusts. Steve smiled as he finished with those and went back to the multiple, faster, and shorter thrusts. Danny moved his hands from resting on Steve's back to gripping around Steve's neck. One hand slid down to settle on Steve's jawline. Danny gazed up to stare into Steve's eyes.

As he watched Danny give him a soul opening stare, something came over him. He didn't know what it was. . .the only thing he experienced was a rush. . .a sudden flourish of emotions as he gazed into Danny's galvanizing blue eyes. Steve leaned close to Danny's lips, a breath ghosting over Danny's lips. "I love you. . .so much."

Danny grinned as he took in the words that were whispered to him. "I love you, too, Steve." He whispered back. Steve kissed Danny's cheek gently.

Steve drove harder into Danny, increasing the man's cries and moans of pleasure. Steve reached down and started caressing Danny's throbbing dick.

Danny arched his hips to Steve and let out a loud groan. He gasped in breaths as Steve pushed into him. All the sensations. . .Danny knew he wouldn't be able to keep up for long.

"Steve. . .I'm. . .I'm close." Danny gasped out, holding onto him, his hands on Steve's jawline.

"Oh, babe, I know. I know." Steve whispered, grinning at his words.

Danny continued to grasp onto his face as he tilted his head back to the bed temporarily. The feelings started to pool as Steve continued to stroke him and move into him.

"Oh, God! Steve!" Danny gasped out in a whisper. He lifted his head to Steve's, placing his forehead against Steve's. Steve continued his movements as Danny held tightly to him and then quickly placed his lips to Steve's.

The flow and energy between them was so easy. . .so gentle. . .so natural. . .everything just fell into place.

"Steve." Danny gasped out in a whisper against Steve's lips. Danny's build up flashed to the surface. Like lighting strikes on a stormy day, pleasure surged through his body in mind blowing flows of electric currents.

Steve continued his movements even as Danny gasped in breaths and moaned with his forehead to Steve's. Warm, pearly white fluid ejected onto Steve's hand as he continued to stroke him. Danny stayed near Steve, his grasp on the man's neck. His other hand snuck up to grasp Steve's hair gently as his body slowly falling back to a motionless state as electricity pulsed through his body.

Steve kept his movements up through Danny's orgasm and soon, he felt that same overwhelming feeling. He pulled out of Danny and removed the condom in one fluid motion. Steve kept himself still.

"Danny. . ." He whispered as placed his hand next to Danny's shoulder. His other hand stroked himself hastily. He stared into Danny's eyes. He heaved in breaths as overpowering waves of elation and ecstasy began to flow through him.

Danny felt the warm droplets rain on him. . .not minding it one bit. He watched the rippling effect of the exhilarating pleasure roll through Steve's body.

The surf of pleasurable sensations lulled to serene ripples and Steve looked down at the mess they made.

Everything stilled. Steve looked up and stared at Danny as he stared back with an out-of-world gaze.

Danny breathed hard as Steve gazed at him. Danny watched as tremors rushed through Steve even as he towered over him. A stuttered breath rushed out of Steve and he continued to tremble.

Danny placed his head back on the bed. He lifted his hand to his head and ran his fingers through his hair as he exhaled out a large sigh. Holding his hand there, he let out a small chuckle.

Steve regained his composure as a last tremble shuddered its way through his body. He smiled at Danny's chuckle. Steve leaned over him and placed a soft kiss to Danny's lips.

Steve pulled back and smiled lightly at Danny as he looked at Steve with adoration.

"You okay?" Steve asked softly as he brushed his nose along Danny's.

Danny smiled at him. "Yup." He paused, searching his eyes. "You?"

Steve smiled at him and nodded. "Yup." He parroted back to Danny as Danny laughed and brought Steve closer to his lips.

***Buzz*Buzz*Buzz***

Steve broke from Danny's lips at the sound of his phone. "Ah, I'll get it later." Steve said as he turned back to Danny's lips.

"No, Steve. . .that's probably Grace." Danny said pushing him gently.

"Oh! Right!" Steve responded, hastily jumping off of the bed to grab his pants, where his phone kept buzzing at him.

Danny smiled at Steve's response to Grace calling him. _I couldn__'__t ask for a better partner. . .friend. . .boyfriend?_ Danny grinned at the thought.

"Hello?" Steve answered his phone.

"Hi, Uncle Steve. It's Grace."

"Hey, Grace. How's it hanging?" Steve answered enthusiastically.

"Pretty good. Hey, um. . .did my dad talk to you tonight. . .about. . .stuff?"

Steve smiled at her hesitance. "He did. He dropped by and we talked about. . .everything that happened."

"Did he say sorry?"

Steve smiled again as he looked at Danny who smiled back at him. "He did. He did and he also mentioned about the fight you guys had last night."

"Oh. . .he did?" She sounded disappointed and slightly upset.

"Yeah. I don't think I have ever heard such wise words come from someone your age, Grace." Steve smiled as Danny stood up to find his phone in his pants pocket and settle back down on the bed.

"Really?" Grace sounded surprised.

"Yeah. I think he was taken aback to hear your thoughts."

"You think so?"

"Oh, I know so, sweetheart. You and I both know he's stubborn, but when he finds out he's wrong, he usually gives in." Steve looked at Danny who made a face at him at his words.

"Oh, tell me about it. . .he is completely stubborn."

Steve chuckled. "The 3 weeks with him weren't that bad, were they?"

"No. . .he spoiled me like crazy." Steve could hear her smile into the phone.

"New everything?" Steve asked as he went and sat next to Danny, who scooted closer to his figure that was now sprawled out on the bed.

"Some new things. . .we mostly just hung out and went to different spots on the island. . .we did stuff he knew I wanted to do for a while. It was a lot of fun, but I hope he knows I just liked spending time with him. It wouldn't have mattered where we went."

"I'm glad. . ." Steve paused. "I hope you know he missed you like crazy when you were away."

"I know."

"And I hope you know he loves you an awful lot."

"I know. I love him, too."

"And I do as well, Grace. I love you. . .a whole heck of a lot." Steve smiled as Danny gazed at him as he said the words.

"I love you, too, Uncle Steve. And-" Steve heard her sigh into the phone.

"And?"

"And I know dad loves you."

Steve smiled at her words. "Grace, I want you to know that I love your dad, too." Steve turned to Danny, who kept gazing at him as he continued to talk with Grace.

"We're Ohana and. . .I love you guys." Steve said simply as he looked into Danny's blue eyes.

"We _are_ Ohana. . .you, me, and Danno." She paused. "And Kono. . .and Chin. . ." She added.

"And Kono and Chin, you're right." Steve added.

Steve heard her chuckle. "Alright. . .I was just calling to make sure my dad talked to you. I think I'll call him in a bit."

Steve smiled. "I think he'd like that."

"Steve. . .Can I say something else?" Grace asked him.

"Of course. I'm all ears."

"I also wanted to say thank you. I never got a chance to. . ."

"Thank me?" Steve was slightly confused.

"Yeah. . .um. . .you were there when I got shot. . .and then you saved me with keeping me safe when Seth was still not caught. I also know that. . .you were here for Danno when I was away. I never got the chance, so I'm saying it now. Thank you, Uncle Steve."

Steve smiled as he heard her words. His adoration for her grew to another level as he listened to her state her gratitude.

"Grace. . .you know I would do it all over again if I had to, right?"

"I do. You would protect me. . .just like my dad would."

Steve smiled. "I would. And I will continue to, Grace."

"Only if get to keep calling you Uncle Steve." She replied.

Steve smiled. "I would love nothing more."

"Okay, good. I better go. I'll talk to you later, okay?"

"Sounds good to me, Grace."

"Love you, Uncle Steve."

"Love you, too, Grace. Sleep tight."

"I will. You too."

"Will do."

"Aloha."

"Aloha."

Steve clicked end on his phone's screen. He turned to Danny, who was staring up at him adoringly.

"What?" Steve asked with a smile as he placed his phone on his side table.

Danny took in a breath. "I just love the way you love her."

Steve smiled at him.

***Buzz*Buzz*Buzz***

Danny looked at his phone and smiled. "Guess who?"

Steve chuckled and scooted in closer to Danny on the bed. Steve placed a kiss to Danny's neck as he answered it.

"Hey, monkey." He answered with a smile.

"Hey, Danno!"

"What's going on?"

"Nothing. I just talked to Uncle Steve."

"Yeah? Did I do well with settling things?" Danny felt Steve break from his neck and take hold of his hand.

"Yeah." Grace laughed into the phone.

"Good. You're mom okay?"

"Yeah. She wants to go to the country club tomorrow for lunch. . .and she want's me to wear this dress that I don't like."

Danny chuckled. "She's just happy to have you home. I bet you look beautiful in the dress."

"Thanks Danno." Danny heard her yawn into the phone.

"How about you go to bed, missy? You sound tired." Danny said as he moved his fingers over Steve's hand.

"Okay. Hey, one more thing. I was talking to Uncle Steve and he told me he loves you."

Danny looked up to Steve's face as Steve lifted his gaze to Danny's eyes. "Oh, really?"

"Yeah. . .and I was wondering. . .I said that you love him. . .was that okay?"

Danny smiled at the question. "Monkey, I'll tell you this now. Uncle Steve has a very special place in my heart." Steve smiled at his words. "I do love him. . .and I am glad you told him."

"Oh, good." She sounded relieved. "I think I'll go to bed. . .I'm tired." She said, yawning again.

"Okay, sweetie. I'll talk to you tomorrow, okay?"

"Okay. Love you, Danno."

"Love you, too, monkey. Sleep tight. Night."

Danny hung up his phone and turned back to Steve.

"I have a special place in your heart?" Steve asked.

"Well, yeah. . ." Danny answered honestly. "Is that weird to say?"

Steve immediately shook his head. "No. You have one in mine." He said simply.

"I do?" Danny asked with surprise in his voice.

"Yeah! Of course. . .I. . ." Steve scooted closer to him. "I love you, Danny."

Danny smiled at his words. "I love you, too."

Steve smiled as he leaned in to place a kiss on Danny's lips. As they kissed each other, broke, and sprawled out next to each other, Danny rested his head on Steve's left pectoral and Steve cradled him with his left arm as his right sat on his stomach, grasping onto Danny's hand. Danny kissed his chest and placed his head back to its original spot. He smiled as he listened to the strong beating of Steve's heart. Steve smiled at Danny's kiss and moved only to kiss the top of Danny's head.

Both of them knew that they loved each other. . .and in the end, that's all that mattered. They were ready for this. Everything was resolved. Everything was comfortable. Everything was in sync.

Everything was complete.

With thoughts of bliss and happiness drifting over them, they closed their eyes and drifted off into a peaceful sleep.


End file.
